


Tony Stark and the Thief of Brísingamen

by Fluffypanda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Noir
Genre: Alternate Norse Religion & Lore, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Other, Shapeshifter Loki, Treasure Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 03:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8604985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/pseuds/Fluffypanda
Summary: Set Post-Iron Man Noir in the summer of 1940.  Adventurer Tony Stark is hunting down a Viking artifact hidden in Maine. It seems more like a vacation than a treasure hunt until Tony starts noticing shadows around every corner. It soon becomes clear that an otherworldly element is involved.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once upon a time...wait wrong genre. One day our intrepid author was braving the wilds of AO3 and discovered Marvel Noir. The creative and ingenious people of AO3 used the great potential of Iron Man Noir to bring together Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in Captain America's natural habitat. Seeing this our writer thought, "Why not Loki?" and thus this tale of adventure and romance was born.
> 
> Thanks to [arwenxs](http://arwenxs.tumblr.com) for the initial beta! I've changed quite a bit since then so any mistakes are definitely mine.
> 
> Also a round of applause goes to [MassiveSpaceWren](http://stonypathoffandom.tumblr.com) for not only creating some wonderful art, but for agreeing to make a second one when I suddenly decided this thing needed to be longer.
> 
> ART HERE: <http://massivespacewren.tumblr.com/post/153494888268/my-art-for-the-frostiron-bang-2016-i-was>
> 
> Warning: I mix a lot of fact, fiction, and theory. Discoveries and people have been temporally displaced for this story.

The sharp crack of gunfire rang through the streets on the outskirts of Paris as Tony Stark, former adventurer, took a blind leap. He hit the cobbled street below hard, but came up running, unwilling to let the German soldiers on his tail get the better of him as he continued on towards a distant pier. After a few turns, He ducked into a narrow alleyway between the Parisian townhouses.

Hidden in a doorway, Tony had a good view of the street he had left. His handsomely chiseled features and beard melted into the darkness. Sweat slicked his dark locks, which were such a deep shade of brown that they appeared black, his formerly white pressed shirt was neither pressed nor white, and his blue eyes were wary yet confident despite the wound staining his shirt. His breathing was hard, not unexpected in a man with a heart condition, after being chased through the city by Nazis. Though he was worn, he had a surety that came from numerous encounters with danger, each closer than the last. This was a man who lived on the edge of death.

As Tony watched German soldiers rush by, he calculated the best route to reach the small pier on the Seine where he had arranged to meet his partner in crime, Rhodey. If Tony could reach that, he had a barge waiting then it was just a matter of traveling more than 40 kilometers down the river to a covert airfield in freshly German occupied France without being spotted. He just had to trust that neither Rhodey nor the plane had been discovered by the Nazis. Now that the armistice has been signed, it was that much harder to make a getaway.

Tony pulled a map of the area from his memory; he had studied several just for this occasion, because one never knows when one may have to escape in the dead of night. These streets were largely residential and full of tight pathways and high walls. His destination was a privately owned dock just where the houses started to thin out. He mentally plotted a course that would hopefully take him around where his trackers were searching for him.

Tony quickly darted across the street before his pursuit realized they had truly lost him and came looking. He continued to weave his way through the streets. He stopped a moment in the shadow of a garden wall to catch his breath and saw a figure down the street. He hadn’t been noticed yet, but if he didn’t get moving it was only a matter of time.

Tony slowly started creeping along the ivy covered wall before breaking into a run. He picked up speed as he once again heard shouting. His feet pounded along the street, as he dodged bullets and men, yet still, the soldiers gained on him. Sometimes Tony really regretted dropping adventuring for working for Fury. At least when he got shot at then, it was published in the magazine and everyone could be properly impressed by his courage in the face of danger. He desperately hoped Rhodey heard the ruckus and prepped the boat for launch.

Finally, as he drew close to the secluded pier, Tony had lost most of his hunters, scattered far behind him in the streets. Some of them were taken out by friendly fire ironically enough. Tony thought it served them right for attempting to shoot moving targets in the dark with those kinds of guns. There was just one man left on Tony’s trail.

Tony could see Rhodey waving to him as he untied the barge’s dock line. James Rhodes was an old friend of Tony’s, who worked as his assistant back when Tony’s adventures were being published in _Marvels_. He was a rugged man of African descent; his good looks were complemented by his bold scars and wide shoulders. He had vast knowledge of all things natural and was fiercely loyal to Tony.

They shouted to each other, “Hurry!” Rhodey yelled. Tony snapped, “I am hurrying!” With a flying leap, Tony landed on the rusty barge. Quickly he helped Rhodey push the boat away from the dock. But it was too late.

Just as they were getting the boat moving, the soldier boarded the boat with his own flying leap. Everyone stumbled as the boat rocked. The German sneered at Tony while he fumbled for his gun. Tony closed the distance between them and knocked the gun out of his hand. Locked arm and arm, Tony struggled with the Nazi.

Tony ignored the German insults being spat in his face and head-butted the soldier. He shook off the dizziness that caused and followed it up with a knee to the groin before dumping the Nazi off the moving boat.  He crowed, “You’ll have to catch the next boat, pal.” Turning around, he muttered to Rhodey, “You’d think they would be happy to see the back of us after all the trouble we caused.” Already they were making their way down the dark tree lined banks of the Seine, their only pursuit, a memory.

 

His work for General Fury in France done, he had returned to New York City to help Pepper write up his latest adventure and enjoy the parades and fireworks celebrating Independence Day. Or he would be enjoying them if the loss of France’s independence didn’t weigh so heavily on him. He knew it was only a matter of time before the United States officially joined the war, a war Tony personally was already fighting thanks to Hydra. Tony was resolved to do what he could to keep Hydra from their shores.

So instead Tony spent the past weeks drafting designs and repairing his armor. Tony had been listening to the[ Benny Goodman Orchestra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Z1DWIgfCs) while in his workshop, when Jarvis, his father’s war buddy and Tony’s assistant mechanic, let a grease-stained Tony know he had a call. Wiping sweat from his brow, he went up to take the call. It was from one of his associates, a Danish archeologist he had met at a charity event by the name of Jette Arneborg.

Though he was surprised by the suddenness of the call, Tony went to the Spirit Pond excavation site in Maine at Jette’s request. He’d gotten a hotel just a drive away from the dig site in Portland with his assistant, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, and his former chronicler for Marvels: A Magazine of Men's Adventure, Virginia “Pepper” Potts.

Pepper was a godsend and Tony was so lucky that she agreed to come along. After withdrawing his application to transfer to Paris, Rhodey was up for nearly anything Tony could concoct, but Pepper stayed back more often than not. She didn’t mind a bit of adventure; she wouldn’t have signed to be his chronicler if she did. The reason she usually didn’t join Tony’s latest escapades was that she had a new job. Working with Tony had created new avenues for her. She couldn’t afford to run off with Tony every time he had a side project.

 She stepped out of Tony’s Citroën Traction 7C cabriolet, her fiery hair that normally curled around her ears, blowing in the wind. Anyone could see that she was confident and collected, and her manner of speech exuded intelligence and sharp wit.

She strode up to the front desk to check in while Tony and Rhodey directed the bellboys in unpacking the equipment and materials from the truck Rhodey drove up. The doors to their rooms were barely closed before Pepper turned on him.

“Mind telling us what we came all the way up here for?”

“I got a tip from an associate of mine, it could be something big.”

Rhodey crossed his arms. “Are you going to tell us what it is?”

“Later! I have to go meet her now. I’m leaving you a list of equipment we might need, see if you can find some place to get it all, but don’t put any money on it until I get back.” Tony had only packed the most essential and hard to obtain items for the trip up, but if it turned out that he needed more than that, he wanted to know where to get it.

Rhodey growled, “Tony, no. You can’t just have us run errands and leave us in the dark. This isn’t one of the stories you used to do for the magazine.”

“You really don’t need to build suspense for us,” Pepper added.

“I know, but I want to be sure we have something before I tell you. Trust me, if it’s nothing then we can do a bit of sightseeing, then go home. It would do all of us some good to get away for a bit,” Tony said, fleeing out the door.

An unusual woman sipped tea while sitting in the corner of the hotel lobby. At first glance it appeared that she was wearing mourning black, but upon closer inspection it was an extremely dark shade of green. Her long black hair obscured the right side of her face. Snake-like, she smiled at Tony as he came down the stairs on his way out.

Tony could appreciate a woman with an air of danger, but this one seemed all wrong. Something about her was eminently fake, like she was trying for demure, but missed it by a mile. Even Tony could recognize it. If she hadn’t been setting off alarms, Tony might have gone over to chat with her, but as it was, he left for his meeting.

Apparently his contact had found some stones she thought would be of interest to Tony. While Tony’s work wasn’t appreciated in the circles of formally trained archeologists, it was well known that he had a knack for discovering sites that his more scholarly peers could only dream of. As much as Tony was about innovation, he loved investigating artifacts. It wasn’t just about the possibility of extending his life, archeology and H.G. Wells were the closest he would ever get to time travel. A while back, Tony had pointed out some likely sites for archaeological excavation, and in return, she agreed to alert him to any findings that were more suited to Tony’s area of expertise. There was one particular artifact that he hoped any clues she found would lead to.

Tony stepped out of the dappled shadows of the forest and into the daylight surrounding Spirit Pond. He looked around the clearing surrounding the serene pond having finally arrived at his destination. The blue-green water sparkled in the sunlight. The dig site itself was rather small, less than 100 square feet. A short distance from the dig there was a circle of tents and an outdoor kitchen set up.

“Tony Stark! It’s good to see you.” Jette called out, “Your information has been a great help to my research.” She was an older woman; her cheerful eyes were magnified by her large glasses with dark frames. Her work in Greenland had only just been recognized, yet here she was excavating more sites for her research.

“I’m glad to be of service.” Tony said with a dashing smile. He let himself be steered toward the kitchen where her assistants were making coffee and putting together sandwiches. After removing his jacket and hat, Tony gratefully accepted a mug of gritty coffee. He was long used to poor coffee; at this point he was only concerned with the caffeine content. It had been a long trip up here and he was eager to get any extra energy he could.

After taking a big gulp of the lukewarm beverage he turned to Jette and asked, “I believe you found something for me?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Right this way.” She said brightly as she set down her own mug of coffee and bustled off. Over her shoulder she said, “I wasn’t sure you’d come. I heard you retired.”

The thing was, Tony _had_ retired from adventuring. Instead he threw his efforts into the war. Despite this, Tony had a strong reason to get involved in this mystery now that he was between missions. If the rumors and legends were true, the fate of the war hung in the balance. He quickly grabbed his jacket and hat before allowing himself to be led over to a small pavilion that was sheltering tables lined with artifacts.

“It’s these three stones. Now, I hope you understand that I can’t let you make off with them, but I believe a transcription of their etchings should be sufficient for your purposes.” Jette explained.

“I understand completely. In this field you have to be possessive of your finds.” Tony assured.

Tony pulled out his notebook and started sketching each of the three stones.  They were slightly larger than his hand and he had to flip them over to see the etchings on the other side. One of the stones contained a map. After every last detail was faithfully copied into his notebook, Tony looked around the excavation site.

Tony discovered Jette cataloguing some of her finds. “Where were the stones found?” He asked once she finished writing.

“Right over here.” She led Tony to a roped off area. They had dug deep into the silty soil, revealing several layers of different colored dirt. Rocks and what looked like some type of metal work poked out of the ground.

“There was evidence of a small shrine in that spot. We think it dates from the mid-14th century. That was the period the Norse colonies started to die out.” She spent the next hour over lunch outlining her theories about the settlers that might have lived here and their connection to the colonies in Greenland.

“Thank you for contacting me. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” Tony said as he shook her hand. He said his goodbyes and set off on the trail back to the main road and his precious Traction 7C.

“Good Luck to you Tony Stark!” Jette said as she saw him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jette Arneborg of the Danish National Museum is a real life archeologist who did do work in Greenland, however this was in the 1990’s not the 1930’s. There were actual excavations in Greenland by the Danish during that time period though.
> 
> The Spirit Pond Stones are real, but they were “found” in 1971. I have no idea what the site they were found looks like so I’ve taken artistic license.


	2. Part 2

The rocking of the boat, the radiant sun, and the crashing waves served as a backdrop for Tony Stark, adventurer, millionaire, and inventor, his jacket fluttering in the sea spray. He cut a dramatic figure, worthy of a magazine cover. Two figures stood behind him, Rhodey and Pepper, and though they were exasperated with his posturing, they accompanied him on the path to new mysteries.

The boat they travelled upon was an older white ferry that was rolling along at a leisurely pace. According to the inscription on the side of the boat she was built 21 years ago and christened _Carver's Pride_.  She was a little over 90 feet long and just under 20 feet wide and weighed about 150 tons.  She had a single propeller in the back that was driven by an extremely noisy single 200 horsepower steam engine.  Tony drummed his fingers against the plate covering the repulsor pump in his chest trying to distract himself from the urge to fix and upgrade that outdated engine. It was not working, he could hear every unnecessary clunk and it was driving him up the wall.  

Over the raucous cries of seabirds wheeling overhead, Pepper shouted, “Tony, what are we doing here? We’ve been traveling for hours.”

Pepper looked like she was trying to glare the answers out of Tony. Rhodey was making a fair go of it too. Quite frankly, Tony was surprised he managed to get them this far while answering so few of their questions.

After getting back from Spirit Pond, Tony spent the night with his books cracked open. Translating the inscription from the stones took most of the night, with the rest of the time used for comparing various maps to the one carved into the stones. He was ready to go first thing in the morning and had succeeded in rousing Rhodey and Pepper for the drive up the coast along route one. The drive had been pleasant; the scenery along the road was quite gorgeous. Not that Tony saw it, he was napping.

Both Rhodey and Pepper must have been too tired and hungry from a missed breakfast to question him over the hasty lunch they had further north, in Rockland. They ate at quaint little diner near the waterfront, only a block from the ferry station. It was there that Tony left his car behind, a bittersweet parting, to board the ferry for Vinalhaven. Now, 45 minutes from port, Tony’s companions decided to demand their answers.

Tony was prepared to give them, at least some of them. However, not just yet, he spotted a man standing a suspiciously short distance away and Tony wasn’t going to chance being overheard. There was no telling who might be a spy for Hydra or other nefarious organizations. Even if the man were an ordinary civilian, it wouldn’t do to let him hear the true purpose of this trip. Fame and fortune are a great temptation to many men.

“Vinalhaven or South Fox Island has a population of 1,629. It’s known for its granite quarries and lobster fishing. It has roughly 24 square miles of land and a thriving summer community. There are several islands north of here in Seal Bay that are for sale.”

While he was spitting out facts, Tony casually made sure the man knew he was seen and led Rhodey and Pepper closer to the stern of the boat, where the engine was louder. The man did not follow them.

“And what are we really doing there?” Rhodey pressed.

He had that stubborn look in his eye and Tony knew there was no fooling him. Not that it was ever a good idea to keep too many secrets from Rhodey. It was time to reveal what this little treasure hunt was about.

He sighed and after making sure no one else was within listening distance said, “We’re looking for an artifact out of Norse legend. It’s a torc or necklace called the Brísingamen, it belonged to the Goddess Freyja and is said to hold great power. It was last seen when Erik the Red stole it before settling in Greenland almost 1000 years ago. In other words, the typical sort of magical treasure we go hunting for.”

Tony leaned over the edge of the port bow to look at the ocean waves, in the distance he could see the line of trees and houses that made up the island. He watched seals diving through the water and continued his explanation as they drew closer to the ferry. “I believe the rune stones found at Spirit Pond will lead us to the location of the Brísingamen, brought to North America by Viking Settlers.” One of the seals turned its big green eyes to look at him, bobbing up and down in the waves.

Rhodey’s brow furrowed, he asked, “Why is it so important? What does it do?”

The seal continued to swim alongside the ferry, looking up at Tony. “The accounts are vague, some say it heals any ill, and others claim it can destroy armies. Both are possible since this is an object said to belong to the Goddess of War, Magic, and Love, among other things. It’s just the sort of thing Hydra would be looking for, so we’re going to find it first.” Tony smiled at the attention of the seal; he was popular even with the sea life.

“You really think you’re going to find a magical Viking necklace in Maine?” Pepper asked.

Tony turned to look at her, taking his eyes off the seal. It was a mistake as it turned out; as a jet of water hit the back of his head and dripped down his neck. Swearing, he turned to see the seal he was watching before swim away.

He grumbled a bit before getting back to answering Pepper’s question. “The Vikings reportedly explored all over this coast so I’m hoping I will, but this is just some preliminary scouting. I don’t expect to find much just yet.”

Rhodey said, “What do you need us for this trip for biscuits then?”

Tony shrugged and relaxed as he closed his eyes. “What I said back at the hotel still stands. I thought it would be nice to get away from New York for a few days. The summer heat was stifling. Should I have come to enjoy the cool ocean breeze alone?” His ruffled hair and wide smile revealed how much he was enjoying the weather.

Pepper squinted at him. “So you took us on vacation?”

“Essentially,” Tony admitted with a shrug before adding, “But who knows, we might find something after all.”

Tony felt a little bad for misleading his friends, but the ongoing war and their roles in it were stressful enough for them; they deserved to relax a little. What he said wasn’t a lie, he was only downplaying how important this could turn out to be. The Brísingamen was most certainly real and hidden in the Americas. This was his first lead on it since he started investigating in his youth. It had been such a long time that he had nearly forgotten despite his personal stake in the search.

“I guess it will be nice to relax a bit for once. Though knowing your luck, this will turn into another adventure. Let’s hope Hydra doesn’t catch wind of this.” Pepper muttered, her eyes softened and her mouth curved downwards, the worry was written clearly on her face.

“Of course we want to keep our true purpose here a secret. Vinalhaven is popular with us city slickers during this season. So if anyone asks, I’m looking for the location of my new summer home.” Tony said flippantly in order to drive off his own concerns regarding Hydra.

Hydra was watching Tony, he was almost sure of it, but his life as a public figure didn’t make it easy to know how far into his life they burrowed. Tony had learned the hard way that the people you least suspect could end up being part of Hydra. That’s why he only took Rhodey and Pepper; he could trust them not to secretly be Nazis.

He knew no one followed him to his meeting with Jette. Pretending he was on vacation, planning a summer home, hopefully these fictions would be enough to obfuscate his true purpose in Maine. Part of the reason he insisted on leaving so early in the morning was to throw off any spies on his trail. Just in case it wasn’t enough, he packed what he could for weapons. Hydra would not get the better of him.

Tony felt vulnerable without Iron Man but the armors were awful for stealth. While they were smaller and more maneuverable than planes, they were noisy and had a short range; they couldn't fly more than a few miles. They weren’t easily transportable either; especially if you were trying to be discrete about it, people would notice the huge crates. They also had a disadvantage in the time and effort it took to get in and out of them. So they could only bring them on missions where they were able to move openly.

“You really just want to buy a private island to retire on, don’t you Tony?” Rhodey teased.

“You got me, I’m hoping to live the quiet life, settling down with some dame, raising a gaggle of children, and going fishing every morning.”

Pepper laughed. “That will be the day.”

“What? You don’t think I’d do it?”

“Tony, you hadn’t even been back from Paris a month before you dragged us off on this venture. I don’t think you could stay still long enough to ‘live the quiet life’, let alone be happy doing it.”

That was unfair, Tony was sure he could do it, he was more mature now. He wasn’t running away from his problems by going on adventures, it wasn’t about escapism anymore; he was doing what needed to be done. Who’s to say that once Fury was done with him Tony couldn’t find someone and settle down like any Joe out there? It wasn’t entirely unappealing to have someone to spend his life with.

All of a sudden there was indistinct shouting from the other side of the boat. The trio ran over to the starboard stern, where there was a crowd gathered. They were among the last to arrive at the scene. Tony pushed through the mass of people to see what the commotion was about.

His gaze following the pointing fingers, Tony looked out over the edge of the boat, to the ocean. In the water, a man struggled to stay afloat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most archeologists do not believe that Vikings travelled further south or west than Newfoundland. In other words they did not come to Maine or anywhere in New England unlike many popular myths declare. Any so called evidence that they did, such as the spirit pond stones, is attributed to hoaxes. That being said, for the sake of the story pretend it’s all true. 
> 
> It should also be noted that the Spirit Pond stones don’t have any sort of connection to the Brísingamen of Norse Myth. In fact, as far as I know there is nothing to indicate that the Brísingamen actually exists. There are some wild theories that connect the stones to the Holy Grail, but I’m making up my own connections and history here.


	3. Part 3

It was a fine day in Penobscot Bay. It was warm, the waters were fairly calm, and a cool breeze prevented the weather from growing too hot, but not all was well. Tony Stark looked on as a man in the water thrashed about some distance from the ferry to Vinalhaven. His voice, shouting for rescue, was faint, barely audible over the waves and engine noises. Something seemed to be pulling him down beneath the waves.

No one was making any moves to help him, instead they milled about in shock. Tony shucked off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and rushed for the nearest lifesaver. Pushing through the crowd of people, he threw it to the man with a great heave. He was on target, the lifesaver landed right in front of the man. All the while he was calling for people to help him with the rescue. Knocked out of their stupor, the crew sprang into action.

Rhodey and one of the crew got into position to haul the man in once he grabbed on, but he was still struggling in the water, not appearing to have noticed the lifesaver. Everyone held their breath waiting for a hand to reach out and hold on to that last thread of hope. Time stretched out each second seeming longer than the previous. Some of the crowd whispered grim predictions.

Eventually the man hooked on to the life saver with one arm, even while he was still being pulled down. Tony couldn’t tell if the man’s head was above water, but he did the only thing he could and started hauling the rope in. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too late.

As they pulled him in, the passengers of the boat could see that there was something wrong with the man. He had stopped struggling, but it was not the good omen that it had first appeared to be. He was sagging in the water, it was hard to tell with the waves pushing him around, but it was likely that he wasn’t moving at all. After what seemed like hours of labor, though later Tony confirmed it was only about 20 minutes by checking his pocket watch, the team of rescuers got the man on the boat.

Tony looked at the man’s cold water-logged body and knew he had drowned long before they got him to safety. Tony didn’t do enough; he should have gone in after him. Tony was a plenty strong swimmer; he could have pulled him back to the ferry. Why didn’t he do that? This man could have been saved. Tony ignored the passenger next to him announcing the death, and looked closer at the poor soul he failed.

It was the same man who had been trying to listen in on Tony’s explanation. He was no older than 30, neither handsome nor homely, with blonde hair. Between effects of his death and his unremarkable face, Tony might not have recognized him without his cheap suit. He appeared to have lost his hat to the waves, he was also missing one of his shoes, the other, still on his foot, was even cheaper than his suit.

No one came forward to claim him, so he was most likely traveling alone. Tony checked the man for identification, but the seawater had disintegrated all the papers in his pocket, his wallet didn’t provide much insight either. Underneath the jacket, Tony found the holster for a pistol, but the gun itself was missing.  Further down, Tony could see through torn fabric to pale, bloated bite marks on his legs leaking pink water, probably from whatever was assailing him in the water.

It was all very worrying. The sides of the ferry were rather high, and it wouldn’t have been easy to fall over on accident. Then there was whatever was in the water. The bite marks didn’t resemble anything a shark would do and there weren’t many other predators that would attack a human in these waters. If this man were the spy Tony suspected he was, then this whole incident could very well be foul play. He needed more information.

While Tony was pondering this, the crew members finally got their act together and decided to take issue with Tony manhandling the dead body of what was presumably one of their customers.

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing? You ain’t robbing any dead guys on our ship!” one particularly burly crewmen said.

Tony, of course, was undaunted by the sailor’s ability to crush barrels with his bare hands. He was just about to defend his actions when a tall man with an air of authority appeared. It was clear that the tall man was the ferry’s captain; he dressed the part, from his shiny boots to his captain’s cap. He was well groomed and had excellent posture; he had obvious pride in his position.

“I’m the captain of this ship, Gilbert Norton. Sir, can I ask you to come with me?” The captain’s words may have been polite, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to stand to be disobeyed. It was then that some of the passengers started to notice that he was _the_ Tony Stark from Marvels. It was bound to happen, not only was his face plastered all over the magazine, he was also frequently in the paper.

So when Tony explained, “I was simply attempting to identify the body, not pickpocket it.”

Others piped up shouting, “He’s a hero!”, “He’s Tony Stark, you moron!” and “He’s already filthy rich, what would he need to steal for?”

Tony appreciated the support. He had lost a good number of fans when he decided to join the war effort instead of continuing adventuring. The war was still unpopular, with most of the country wanting to stay out of it. The sentiment was understandable, with the economy the way it was, people wanted to focus on what was happening at home, not abroad, but it was a short sighted view. It was only a matter of time before America had to get involved in the war, there were already spies on their shores.

Captain Norton did a double take, this time taking a closer look at Tony. One of the mates whispered something in his ear and the captain nodded. He seemed to have decided something.

The captain turned to Tony and said, “I’m sorry, but I do still need to speak with you.”

Rhodey and Pepper watched from the crowd. Tony was glad that they didn’t get caught up in this, the last thing they needed was trouble with the law. Tony could handle it, but authorities might not be so ‘understanding’ with Rhodey.

The captain led Tony to his cabin and offered him a chair to sit in. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. I’ve asked my crew to check the passenger list; with any luck we’ll be able to find our dead man.”

Tony folded his hands and replied, “That’s good to hear. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t pull him out alive. He appeared to have been attacked by something. Is that common around here?”

“Can I ask what your business in Vinalhaven is?” The captain inquired, completely ignoring Tony’s question as he gazed out the nearby porthole.

“I’m looking to build a new summer home. I thought I’d do a bit of surveying to see if Vinalhaven was a good fit.” Tony smoothly lied.

“My family has lived in Vinalhaven since it was established. Unlike most, I’ve seen the wider world before settling back here.” Captain Norton turned to Tony. “The people in town, well, we don’t always appreciate you rich folk who only stay for the summer. It’s difficult to trust someone who doesn’t put their roots down. Keep that in mind while you’re here, Mr. Stark.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Now, we are almost to port, I have a crew to direct. I hope you enjoy your time in town.”

Tony exited the cabin just behind the captain and found Pepper and Rhodey waiting a short distance away. He quickly joined them. Rhodey was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, but his frown betrayed his worry. Pepper, whose foot was tapping, seemed more annoyed than worried.

“Relax. He didn’t give me any trouble.” Tony smiled and held his hands up.

“What did he want?” Pepper demanded.

Tony put his hands in his pockets. “He just warned me that the locals aren’t that friendly towards the summer crowds.”

It was odd that despite the Captain’s professed animosity, he went out of his way to give advice like that. Tony wasn’t vain enough to attribute it to his charm or celebrity, Captain Norton didn’t seem like that sort of man. Something deeper was going on.

As the three of them prepared to disembark, they could see Vinalhaven from their spot on the boat. It was a charming collection of Cape Cod style houses, boats, and pine trees. There was evidence of their fishing industry, but it had a small, local feel to it.

When the boat finally docked, Rhodey started to gather their luggage while Pepper and Tony figured out where they were going. The burly sailor from earlier was there helping customers and helped Rhodey lift one of the larger chests.

The cabin boy came skittering up to Tony. He was a cute kid, with freckles and a missing tooth. “Tony Stark, sir?” He said with wide eyes. “The Captain told me to tell ya that the man was listed under Jonathan Smith.” Once his message was delivered, the kid couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Are you really Tony Stark? The one in those magazines? Why did you stop adventuring?”

Tony looked down at the kid, he was all gangly elbows and star struck eyes. “Thanks kid. That’s me. I retired because I thought there were better ways to help people than going on adventures.” The kid looked like he wanted to talk to Tony some more, but he was called away by one of the crew members.

Tony and his faithful companions were just about to set off for the local inn, when Tony noticed someone watching them. Partially hidden in shadow, a tall, dark figure lurked behind one of the houses. They seemed to have a keen interest in Tony, their gaze was palpable even given the distance between them.

As soon as Tony laid eyes on them, the shadow started to run. Tony quickly dropped his bags and raced after the figure, dodging around fellow travelers and leaping over fences. Instinct was urging him not to let them get away.


	4. Part 4

Off like a shot, Tony chased after the shadowy figure he caught spying on them through the small strip of houses to the forest beyond. He sprinted with practiced speed, developed over years of adventures and chases. Yet the figure seemed to be going just as fast in great loping strides, Tony couldn’t close the distance between them.

Only a few glimpses of the shadow’s long black hair streaming behind them kept Tony on their tail as they wove between the trees and over brooks. Before long Tony was a ways into the dim pine forest. The further he went, the thicker the trees were, sunlight couldn’t break through. Somehow the morning mist still hadn’t burnt off and as a consequence Tony lost sight of the person he was following. All was not lost though; he could still hear the rustling of leaves and the snapping of branches as they passed through.

He continued on, ducking under the low hanging branches and hopping over rocks and roots. As he ventured deeper, the forest quieted and he had to stop to get his bearings. The pine needles and fog must have dampened the noise; he could hardly hear his own footsteps. The lack of sound was eerie.

His skin prickled as the sensation of being watched slithered down his spine. That was when the whispering started. The voice came from all around him; it echoed and layered upon itself. It didn’t sound like English, but Tony was having trouble making out exactly what was being said. The words creeped into his mind, urging him to do something, he didn’t know what. He held his breath, it felt as if letting it out would break some sort of spell.

The hypnotizing effect the voice had on him was broken when Rhodey called his name. Suddenly everything seemed so much brighter, as if the trees didn’t loom as closely as they did a moment ago. The mist had completely faded, scorched away by the afternoon sun. A lingering dizziness caused him to stumble rather than walk to where Rhodey was shouting from. The path back to the edge of the forest was much shorter than when he initially ran that way.

Rhodey wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulder. “What did you go running off for?”

“Someone was watching us. I almost had them, but the dirty little spy vanished in the fog.” Tony explained as he started walking back with Rhodey to where Pepper was watching the luggage.

“Tony, it’s perfectly sunny out, there is no fog.” There was concern in Rhodey’s voice.

“It was really thick in the forest a moment ago, but now it’s gone.”

“That shouldn’t happen. Weather doesn’t work like that.”

“Not normally, but something strange is happening here.” Tony said, as they rejoined Pepper.

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice faltered just the tiniest amount.

“He’s fine. He just thought he saw someone spying on us.” Rhodey reassured her.

Tony’s head turned to Rhodey so quickly he strained the muscles. “Wait, neither of you saw them?”

 “No… but we could have just missed him.” Pepper offered.

Tony stared at Pepper with wide eyes. “Once he started running he was in plain sight, you shouldn’t have been able to miss him.”

“It doesn’t matter, let’s get to the inn.” Pepper ended the conversation by turning away, determined to find their accommodations.

From up close, they could see that the town was a mix of fancy summer homes and more rustic houses clearly belonging to locals surrounding a cluster of shops and public buildings. Most places were a few decades out of date if not more.

Unsurprisingly, the inn was not far from the docks, only a few blocks. It was a joint called The Laughing Fox, most likely after the island’s namesake. Its broad, whitewashed form fit in perfectly with the surrounding architecture.

A wizened old man with fluffy white hair sat behind the front desk, he introduced himself as Coombs. He seemed friendly enough, but then again, his business did rely on outsiders. The rooms were plain yet clean, with two beds with simply carved headboards. There was very little in the way of decoration, just one painting on the wall, probably by a local artist, of a sailboat. Pepper’s room was similarly furnished.

They met in the downstairs dining room for an early dinner of buttered lobster. The waitress watched them struggle for a while before she opted to show them how to properly crack open a lobster. It was an embarrassing and messy affair, but the meal did much to restore their spirits after their long and eventful day.

An hour later, the ruckus of the bar fell to a mid-level murmur when Tony entered, but quickly surged again. Rhodey and Pepper, unsure of their welcome, elected to stay behind at the inn. Tony wasn't too sure about his welcome either, given what Captain Norton had said, but something unusual was happening on this island, and the best way to find out was to ask the locals. In Tony's experience no one was chattier than drunks, any one of these men might let something slip that they would never say otherwise.

Tony found an open seat at the counter; sticky with spilled beer, but it was nothing he wasn't willing to put up with. To his dismay, the man in the seat next to him got up and moved. Unfamiliar faces were as unpopular as Tony was led to believe then. Thankfully Tony had an ace up his sleeve.

"Barkeep! I'd like whatever you have on tap, and one for this man over here!" Tony gestured to the man sitting two seats over, staring into an empty mug.

The man looked up, his face had a bit of a squashed look about it, though there were enough laugh lines to make him seem affable. Tony slid over to the seat next to him just as the barkeep brought over the beers. The man cast a suspicious glance Tony's way.

"I hope you don't mind. I needed a drinking buddy, and you looked thirsty."

The man's face brightened considerably. "Not at all, I should be thanking ya!"

"No need, I can afford one or two extra beers if it means having someone to bellyache to."

His expression soured a bit. "What's the matter? Vinalhaven not what you thought it'd be?"

"Oh, no. It's every bit as gorgeous as I thought it'd be. This town really has a lot of charm. I'm actually thinking about living here."

"It is a right fine town, best place to live in the world."

"Now, see I was looking for places to build my new home, but I heard some nasty rumors about the pine woods on the edge of town, ghosts or some such nonsense."

"I've never heard any rumors like that."

Odd, it was possible what happened to Tony was an isolated incident, but he had the sense it was part of something bigger. If there weren’t any rumors about that, then maybe there was something closer to where Brísingamen might be hidden? Powerful items like that tended to attract rumors.

"No, maybe I got it wrong then. Perhaps it was some place near that bay up north?"

Tony could see the man slowly piece it together what Tony was suggesting and a look of fearful rage formed on his face. "I know nothing. And you won't find anyone who does!"

The man was indeed right; none of the other patrons in the bar would even talk to Tony after that. Reluctantly, Tony went back to the inn, only having confirmed that there was something odd going on, but no more than that.

Meeting in Tony and Rhodey’s room to discuss their next move, Tony explained what happened in the bar and how it connected to what they were doing in Vinalhaven in the first place.

 “One of the stones had a crude map that marked the location of a sunken ship. According to the inscriptions on the remaining stones, the Brísingamen was on that ship. Seal bay, on the other side of the island, is one of the possible locations the map could be depicting,” Tony paced, punctuating his words with waves of his hand. “So we’re just going to take a look around, if we find evidence of a Viking ship wreck, we can go back to New York and mount a full salvage expedition with the submarine. Simple.”

Rhodey, who was always so much more practical than Tony, said, “I noticed you packed diving equipment, how far-”

There was a knock at the door, interrupting Rhodey. When Tony answered the door he found an elderly black woman in a housekeeping uniform, she had a cart behind her. She had wispy grey hair and a nearly toothless smile.

“I’m your maid. I’ve come to deliver extra blankets.” She held up a folded pile of the blankets. “The nights here are cold, even in the summer.” The woman had a slight accent, one that Tony couldn’t really place, which was odd because having traveled around the world, he was typically good with accents.

“Thank you ma’am.” 

Tony reached out to take the blankets from the woman, but she grabbed his hands before he could take them away. Her gaze focused Tony’s face. Her green eyes held such concentration that it unnerved Tony, and he was used to stares from adoring fans.

“My name’s Zendaya, but you can call me Dani.”

“Yes, well thank you Dani, we’ll let you know if we need anything else.” Tony said after wrestling out of her grasp. He quickly shut the door. “She had quite the grip.”

“It figures you’d be popular with the maids.” Pepper grinned.

She had grown more comfortable with Tony after their trip to Atlantis and all that followed, to the point she happily teased Tony for his reputation with women. It was different from most of his relationships with women, in a pleasant way.  Like Gialetta and some of the women Tony had known in the past, Pepper was smart and unwilling to put up with Tony’s nonsense, traits that Tony found attractive in anybody, but unlike so many others, Pepper never tried to flirt with him. She came to him as a professional and became a friend, never trying to push for something romantic.

“Everyone loves a man of adventure.”

Rhodey cut in, “Anyway, I was about to ask. How far out do you think this wreck will be?”

Tony’s easy smile dropped again as his expression turned thoughtful and he said, “It’s hard to say, I’m not sure how accurate the map is. The inscriptions seem to indicate the eastern part of the bay.”

Rhodey sighed, “I guess we’ll just have to take our equipment out there and hope we find the right spot.”

The three of them finalized their plans and meeting adjourned, prepared for bed. The night was indeed chillier than expected, so the blankets were put to good use. Tony had as good a night’s sleep as he ever got these days.

After breakfast, they packed their equipment as discreetly as possible. They decided that they could rent a boat later in the day without too much suspicion, but openly carrying diving gear would give them away.

The inn keeper stopped them on their way out, asking, “You have business in town?”

“Actually, we were headed out to Seal Bay. I want to survey the land for a summer home.” Tony explained.

“I’d stay away from Smith Cove if I were you. It’s nothing but trouble over there.”

“What do you mean?” Pepper asked.

“Every couple of years or so someone drowns there under unusual-like circumstances. The bodies are all chewed up, especially the legs.”

Tony was delighted to have more of a lead on the mysterious happenings on the island. It could very well connect with their search. He tried to fish for more, but no matter how they prodded him, Coombs refused to say anything more on the matter.


	5. Part 5

Naturally, portents of doom and the like only encouraged Tony to start their expedition in Smith Cove. The predicted location of the wreck was further out into the bay, but Coombs’ warnings were suspicious enough that Rhodey and Pepper didn’t argue with him. Nothing attracted trouble like treasure after all.

After consulting their map, they hiked out to the cove. At first they followed the roads, but closer to the bay they broke off and continued through the sparse forest, the rocky soil on the island wasn’t suitable for thicker growth. Despite the more moderate temperatures and the breeze, it was hot and sweaty work dragging the equipment with them. Some of it was left in the inn, but there was still plenty that they couldn’t leave behind.

Beyond the pine trees and beach grass, Smith Cove consisted of several inlets lined with large rocks. Occasional bursts of wind carried the sea spray, giving the air a heavy feel and quickly making everything damp. Across the shallow bay Tony could see many islands, so numerous that there was only one visible gap out to the larger ocean. Wildlife was also abundant in the area; as evidenced by the fish swimming in the cove, the squirrels frolicking among the trees, and most notably, the raven circling overhead.

They picked a spot on the eastern side of the cove to start, figuring it was as good as any. Later Tony wanted to come back with a boat to search deeper in the bay, but for now he was going to see if there was anything to Coombs’ dire warnings. In the event nothing attacked him or otherwise revealed itself, he could still look for wreckage and check the visibility of the bay water.

Getting the gear on was the next step, Tony stripped down and let Rhodey and Pepper help. He designed it himself, cutting down on the weight of the diving helmet while improving the range of sight by adding larger glass panels and making the suit more water tight and maneuverable. He explained the features as they went; it was important they understood how it worked.

Tony waded out into the water, the seaweed swirling around his feet. When he was finally deep enough to be submerged, it was like a shadow closed over him. The silty water of the cove let hardly any light through and Tony had to navigate by feel. The waves stirred the suspended sand and seaweed, causing Tony to sway a bit with each step. As he got further out, the water grew clearer, but was still too murky to see far, he’d practically have to be on top of the wreck to find it.

Tony froze when something brushed up behind him. He turned back to see what it was, but it was too fast, there was nothing there. Chills ran up his spine. He knew there was something in the water, that was why he was diving there. He knew it, but experiencing it was something else. Not that he’d let that stop him. He could only hope he’d see it coming.

Even with his modifications the helmet and suit were woefully inadequate. Maybe if he didn’t find anything during this trip he’d re-design the diving helmet even further and try again. It might be possible to do away with the helmet all together and just have something that went over the mouth for air and a watertight set of goggles.

Tony’s nerves strummed with tension as he once more faced forward, only to find himself nose to nose with a seal. He almost laughed in relief. It was only the thought that a seal could very well be what was attacking people here that stopped him. It wouldn’t be that shocking, they were wild animals, and predators at that.

This one however, didn’t seem much interested in biting Tony’s legs off. It just floated in front of him, lazily rolling over. Tony couldn’t quite make out its eye color in the dark water, but he’d like to think they were green, like the seal from the ferry.

Then, just as swiftly as it appeared, the seal was off, leaving Tony to search the waters alone. There wasn’t much of interest, mostly tree branches caught between rocks and seaweed. After 30 minutes of hunting for any sign of wreckage or monsters to no avail, Tony decided it was time to turn back.

Back on shore, Rhodey and Pepper helped him out of his diving gear, starting with the diving helmet. Once it was off, sound flooded back into the world, from the soft lapping of the waves at the rocks to the raucous cry of the raven.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Tony pulled off the rest of the suit, glad to shed the extra weight. “Visibility was pretty low. I didn’t find much besides a seal. We might have better luck on a day with calmer waters.”

Rhodey set down the diving helmet to level a stern look at Tony. “How long do you plan to stay out here?”

Tony didn’t have a clear answer, if nothing turned up, then he wouldn’t keep at it for more than two weeks, but if they found some wreckage he’d be willing to look a lot longer. On the other hand, if General Fury called him in for a mission, he’d leave within a day.

But Rhodey already knew that. “Not enjoying your vacation?”

“It seems more like work to me.” He crossed his arms. “I’m not sure you’ve been straight with us. What is so important about this?”

“I told you, there is chance that—”

“There are hundreds of legends and myths of powerful artifacts. I should know, we’ve investigated a heck of a lot of them over the years and Hydra could be after any one of them, but I want to know what makes this one so important that you go running off after it even though you’ve supposedly given up on these adventures.”

“I think I promised someone that I’d find it.”

Pepper, who until then had only been looking on with a frown, said incredulously, “You think? You aren’t even sure!?”

“I don’t know, I was a kid! I only remembered once Jette called me, but it seemed important and there really is a chance Hydra will show up.”

The brisk wind wasn’t doing Tony any favors. Clad in only in an undershirt and underpants, he shivered as he made his way to where he left his clothes. However, his thoughts of warm dry clothes were shattered when a voice rang out. “I’d say there is more than a chance. You’ll be the ones to lead us to the Brísingamen.”

A woman stood on a rock above them surrounded by goons in Hydra uniforms. She was wearing a scandalously cut green dress and was holding a spiked whip. Tony’s eyes widened as he realized he recognized her from the hotel in Portland. He should have done something then, she had been suspicious from the start.

Tony forced out a flat laugh. “Hate to break it to you, but I’ve jumped the gun on this. We aren’t even sure the Brísingamen is here.”

“Don’t lie to me. When the agent I sent to follow you turned up dead, I knew you were on to something.” She hissed. “Capture them!”

“Yes, Madame Hydra!” chanted the crowd of helmeted lackeys.

Behind his back, Tony quickly signaled to Rhodey and Pepper in the code they developed for just such occasions. They were outnumbered and outgunned, their only chance would be to run and hope there weren’t more Hydra agents waiting in town, if they could even get to town.

Tony tossed his heavy diving helmet toward the oncoming Hydra agents. It with them with a loud clang, but Tony didn’t stick around to see if it was an effective deterrent. He was already dashing along the shoreline, hoping to out distance them before making his way back to town. The Hydra agents had come in from the east and they started to drive him westward, into the waters of the inlet, Madame Hydra leading the charge.

Splashing through the freezing shallows and wildly scrambling over the algae-covered rocks, Tony’s heart raced dangerously fast. If he was captured the best case scenario was torture, and the worst case…he’d end up brainwashed like his father. If it came to that, he’d rather that his repulsor pump run down, stopping his heart.

 A quick look over his shoulder revealed Madame Hydra looming and in his panic Tony slipped, narrowly missing her grasping hands. He rolled, just in time to dodge a lash of her whip, and staggered to his feet. Partially submerged in the briny waters, Tony searched desperately for something to use as a weapon.

He hoped for a branch he could use as a club, but there was a distinct lack of anything larger than a stick. He combed through the shoals, a sharp rock or sea shell would do, he just needed to find something.

His hands touched metal, but what he pulled up was not some rusted bit of scrap metal, but gold. It was a simple yet sturdy band of beaten gold with a round jewel that glittered like crystallized fire in the center. In fact, the jewel held an unsteady glow and the metal was warm despite the chill of the northern waters it was pulled from.

This was Brísingamen, but how? Why wasn’t it out in the bay? If it was here, why hadn’t someone found it sooner? These questions and more ran through Tony’s head unbidden. It didn’t matter; he couldn’t let Hydra use the necklace. Gripping the torc hard, Tony looked for a way out.

“So you did know where it was, you liar.” Madame Hydra spat.

The only way out was into the bay, Tony was a strong swimmer; he could hide out on one of the islands. But it wasn’t to be. The whip struck his back, the spikes opening up a long gash. Then his left side was hit, tearing his undershirt to ribbons. Finally the whip wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air, and dragging him closer to Madame Hydra so she could try to pull Brísingamen from his grasp.

“You will give it to me!”

Even as he struggled to hold on to the torc, Tony felt something come loose in his hand. His limbs felt weak and watery as the blood drained out of him. He could hardly stand anymore, when with one last wrench, Madame Hydra pulled the Brísingamen from his hand.

She hadn’t seemed to notice the missing jewel as she placed the stolen torc in a case held open by one of her henchmen. When the case snapped shut she said with a fanged smile, “I hope you enjoy the poison from my whip, Tony Stark.” She turned to her goons. “Everyone, we’re done here.”

All Tony could do was groan as he dragged himself far enough inland to keep his head above the water and collapsed. Gashes left by the whip bled freely into the surrounding waters. Tony laid there, hand clasped to his chest, consumed by a burning pain. It had started in his palm, where he held the stone, but soon enough it spread underneath to where his heart was encased in metal. From there it flowed through his veins setting him alight, and eclipsing nearly all thought. Steam began rising off the water around him, though Tony couldn’t think well enough to remember why that was strange.

Burning from the inside out in agonizing pain, Tony had no sense of time, no awareness beyond his exploding heart.  The pain receded a little and he watched in detached fascination as crabs skirted the edges of the tide pool. When Tony's mind was finally clear, he registered warmth, it was as if he was floating in a bath rather than seawater.

At first Tony was worried that it was the illusion of warmth caused by the onset of hypothermia, but when he waded out to another tide pool, it was truly cold. Shockingly, his cuts were no longer stinging; in fact there was nary a scratch on him.

Tearing through the shredded and scorched cloth covering his chest with desperation, the only certainty left to Tony was that he had to see what lay beneath. The remains of his undershirt fell away at last and he looked down at his beating heart. He saw that the fiery jewel he held so tightly had somehow melted through his chest plate and embedded itself in the pump powering his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used inspiration from this lovely blog to describe the landscape.
> 
> http://seakayakstonington.blogspot.com/2012/09/seal-bay-vinalhaven.html


	6. Part 6

The Hydra agents were long gone. Madame Hydra took them and the torc out of there, leaving Tony for dead. He could still feel the phantom sensation of Madame Hydra’s whip wrapping around him, cutting him open. Yet by some miracle, he was still alive and whole. The only likely explanation Tony could think of was that the jewel that broke off of the Brísingamen somehow healed him.

“I am Loki of Asgard and I have been burdened with glorious purpose.”

Tony spun around to find a tall man standing behind him, he could almost be described as willowy, but as skinny as he was, there was definite muscle there. His brilliant green eyes were narrowed at Tony in a haughty expression. Long black hair flowed down to his shoulders, combined with his green leather armor, created an impression of another time and place. Both only emphasized how pale his skin was. Tony was in no mood to deal with this Loki or his smarmy grin, he wanted to find Pepper and Rhodey.

Tony put one foot on a nearby rock, with hands on his hips he leaned forward and asked, “Who are you supposed to be?”

Loki’s smile faltered for just a second, before he said, “Did I not just say ‘I am Loki of Asgard’?”

His grin returned, with a sharp toothed edge to it. Placing his hands behind his back, Loki began to circle around Tony. Rather than turning to follow him, Tony stood still. He wasn’t going to let Loki think he intimidated Tony.

Tony snorted and stuck his finger out, pointing at Loki he said, “Yeah, but I don’t know what you and your purpose, whatever that is, are doing here.”

 “I guard Brísingamen from those who would use it for ill.”

“You’ve done a great job so far. It’s not like it was just stolen by an evil organization.”

Loki closed the distance between them, placing his hand on Tony’s heart. “The core of Brísingamen is still here. The Fire Stone is close to your heart.”

Loki backed away and steepled his fingers.  He was still smiling, but Tony could see it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh you noticed that? I guess it was too much to hope that it would slip past.” Tony laughed uneasily.

“Do not trifle with me mortal, I am a god!” Loki was no longer even pretending to smile.

With eyebrows pulled low and his lips were curled into a snarl Loki looked downright menacing. A soft green glow was forming around Loki’s hands, but Tony didn’t care. He knew a lot about so-called gods, they were at the center of many myths and legends Tony investigated, and there was never any evidence they were real.

Tony took a step forward to meet Loki head on. Their eyes were locked together in a battle of wills, Tony daring Loki to make a move, when something broke Tony’s concentration. The wind had carried Rhodey and Pepper’s voices to Tony, he turned to see them waving from the distant tree line in the south. Loki had vanished when he turned back.

Loki’s name had sounded vaguely familiar, though Tony could quite place it. Tony jogged over to meet Rhodey and Pepper halfway, ecstatic that they had managed to avoid capture. His shoulders slumped in relief when he saw that they had no wounds.

“How did you get away?”

“Most of the goons went after you with Madame Hydra.” Rhodey slapped Tony on the back. “Thanks for that!”

“Only a few chased us, they were pretty slow. I kept running until I found some rocks I could slip between.” Pepper’s clothes were frayed and dirty from rubbing up against the rocks. “Once I was sure they were gone, I started heading back here, on the way I met Rhodey.”

“I climbed a pine tree. I was just about to throw some lead their way when they were called off.” With genuine affection he added, “I’m glad you’re okay Tony.”

Pepper gave Tony this troubled look, and asked, “Speaking of, how did you drive them off?”

Tony admitted, “I didn’t. They got what they came for and left.”

 “They found it!?” Rhodey and Pepper cried, their voices overlapping.

Tony stared into the distance as he said, “No, I did. It was odd, I was reaching around in the water and it was just there.”

“And you just let them take it?” Pepper yelled.

“I didn’t have much of a choice; there was some nasty poison on that Viper’s whip. She stole it right out of my hands.”

“You look fine now.” Rhodey observed.

“Let’s just say that the necklace is the real deal and Hydra left behind the most important part. Let’s hope they don’t notice and come back for it.”

While they were talking they walked back to where they had dropped their equipment. By this point Tony’s energy was flagging and he was starting to get cold. He found his clothes, which were now a bit damp and sandy, but still wearable. He started to help Pepper pack everything up while Rhodey stood guard in case Hydra came back.

Once they were packed, they started the hike back to town, this time taking the route that went the opposite direction from where Hydra had come from. Rhodey and Pepper used the intervening time to badger a proper explanation out of Tony. He could only last so long against their combined force.

As soon as they hit the town, they headed straight for the inn. Pepper didn’t stick around after changing into something more proper. She was going to negotiate getting a ride out of town while Tony and Rhodey grabbed the last of their stuff; it was time they made tracks. It was getting late, but with the long summer days it wouldn’t be completely dark for a while yet, someone was bound to be willing to take them to the mainland.

Rhodey went to Pepper’s room to pack her gear and move it to the lobby. Meanwhile, Tony was going to do the same for his and Rhodey’s belongings after he put on clean, dry clothes.

But first he took out a box and a small device with a meter on it, from his belongings. The box was about the size of a cigar box, but much heavier, as it contained a battery with enough power to keep Tony’s heart running for a few extra hours than it normally would. Tony opened up the casing over his heart with some trepidation, no matter how practiced he was at the process, charging the repulsor pump was never something he looked forward to. For a moment he worried that glass would be too warped from the heat of the jewel to come loose, but it popped out and he hooked up the meter to the repulsor pump without a problem.

He waited for it to register the remaining charge. Blinking at the numbers displayed, Tony checked the device over for any issues, even going so far as to open it up. Once assured it was in working order, he tried it again. The same reading came up, he was at full power.

He snapped the glass back over his heart and put everything away, not a little dumb founded. He’d given up on looking for some sort of permanent solution to his heart problem, yet now it seemed he might have found one. How did it work? The jewel, warm against his hand, held no answers.

He was putting on a shirt when someone whispered in his ear. “You need to retrieve the torc.”

Tony startled away from Loki, nearly falling over the bed. He checked the doors and windows, but they held no signs of being opened. There were few places someone as tall as Loki could have hidden. In any case, Tony had previously seen (or rather didn’t) Loki’s ability to vanish into thin air. He was already tired of it.

He decided to pretend that it didn’t bother him. “I have the jewel don’t I? I doubt the rest of the necklace is much use without it.”

Loki leaned forward into Tony’s space, gazing into his eyes. “The band stabilizes the Fire Stone, without it the Stone could go out of control and burn you alive.”

The potential of never needing to charge the pump again was tempting, all too tempting, but if it came with the drawback of spontaneously combusting, maybe it wasn’t meant to be. There were some risks even Tony thought were too outrageous to take. Perhaps once he had the band to stabilize it, it might be a different story.

“Well, I guess we have to find it then. How are we going to do that?”

Loki smiled as he said, “Worry not. As Guardian of Brísingamen I can sense the band. It travels east, across the ocean.”

“That’s a start I guess.”

Loki perched on the bed to watch Tony pack up. There wasn’t much to do as they hadn’t been there long enough to truly unpack and knew better than to spread things around too much from years of experience in sudden departures.

“Do you have to stay here? Can’t you disappear to somewhere else for a while?”

“It is my sworn duty to guard the Fire Stone until it can be reunited with the band.”

“Just stay out of the way.”

“Tony, do you need any help?” “Who is that?”

“Uh”

“Rhodey, did you already pack my—”

“This is Loki, from earlier. He wants us to get the band back from Hydra.” “Loki, these are my friends, Rhodey and Pepper.”

Loki barely acknowledged them. Tony would have been offended on their behalf, but he got the feeling Loki acted that way to all mere mortals. Pepper immediately jumped to lecturing him, while Rhodey pulled Tony aside.

“We’re going after Hydra now?”

“They took the band; we can’t let those thieves get away with half of Brísingamen.”

“I’m not happy about it either, but why should we go up against them when you barely got out alive the last two times?”

“Without the band, this rock here could end up killing me.”

“It healed you before.”

“Loki said it was unstable.”

“He could be lying. How do we even know he is who he says he is?”

Tony’s gaze slid over to Loki, who was on the receiving end of Pepper’s wrath, he was frowning, but there was a spark in his eye that made Tony think he might be amused.

“I checked the charge on the pump. It’s full when it should be at least half gone. It’s definitely put out some kind of energy and who knows how much power it can produce at once. If it fluctuates or overloads the pump I could be in real danger. It might even hurt the people around me if it goes off.”

 

Coombs didn’t seem too sad to see them go despite the lost revenue. He was at least gracious enough to provide them with one last meal. Loki was beginning to annoy Tony with how close he stuck to him, he didn’t seem to know there was such a thing as personal space. Coombs had looked in askance at the new addition to their group. Loki had changed his clothes into something a little more modern to blend in, though green was not a color Tony was used to seeing on a suit.

After finishing their fish and chips, they loaded their luggage on the small fishing boat owned by a relative of Captain Norton. Pepper had met the captain and after making up some explanation of the urgency of their departure, managed to convince him to help arrange their transport. The boat was tiny, with only a small cabin in the center for shelter. The hull was covered in rust and barnacles. Tony gagged a little at the smell, which unsurprisingly had a strong element of dead fish mixed in with some less identifiable, but by no means pleasant, scents.

When Tony complained about paying for Loki to accompany them on the boat back to the mainland, Loki vanished. But Tony could tell he was still there by the constant prickling on the back of his neck. It was the most uncomfortable boat ride of his life.

Tony was relieved to finally arrive in Rockland just after dark, the city was more urban than Vinalhaven by quite a few degrees. The harbor was larger with numerous sail boats lining the docks. Brick buildings ran up and down the main street. The city was in obvious decline, like many places, it was slow to recover from the Great Depression.

They walked the dark streets, dragging their luggage, looking for signs of trouble in the shadows in between street lights. There were still a few people in the street, as late as it was, but that was hardly a comfort.

Pepper had booked a room at the _Samoset Hotel_ for them, a more modern establishment than the _Laughing Fox_. It wasn’t as defensible as Tony would have liked, but there wasn’t much to be done. From there, he phoned Jarvis asking for him to use the airship to pick them up at Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport the next day and take them to New York.

“Why are we not crossing the ocean now? The band grows ever more distant.” Loki’s hands were clenched at his sides as he bared his teeth at Tony.

“There’s some equipment I left in New York. If we are going to take the band back from Hydra, we need to be ready to fight them. And with any luck, we’ll be able to figure out where they’re headed.”

Tony’s explanation calmed Loki some, but he was still pacing impatiently. Even if they believed Loki, and Madame Hydra was taking the torc further east, it didn’t mean there weren’t agents coming for them. So they just had to be prepared.

They counted their weapons. Tony still had his six shot revolver. Rhodey had the 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun he carried with him and his own revolver. Since Pepper’s first and only adventure as Tony’s chronicler, she had taken to carrying a Derringer. It fired two .41 bullets before reloading. It wasn’t much, but she knew the value of having something to defend yourself with in the field.

Everyone settled in, with Rhodey, Tony, and Pepper taking turns watching for trouble. It was going to be a long night.


	7. Part 7

In seconds, Tony’s eyes snapped open. He had dozed off after his shift, but he had barely a few minutes of sleep before Pepper was shaking him awake. He sat up, and tried to rub away the deep edge of exhaustion.

She whispered in his ear, “There are people outside the door.”

It could only really be one thing. Tony shook off his grogginess and got ready to fight. Rhodey was already awake and had his shotgun lined up. Loki had pulled out some knives that looked familiar. Tony was pretty sure Loki pickpocketed those knives from him. It was a little scary that Tony couldn’t think of a single chance he would have had to do that, unless Rhodey and Pepper let him do it while Tony was asleep, which he doubted.

Silently, they got into position, kneeling down so they were at least partially covered by the beds. There was a good chance that this was going to turn into a shootout so any barriers they had should be used. They could only hope that no innocent people would be caught in the crossfire.

Outside the door the soft footsteps and other faint sounds of activity stopped, everyone in the room held their breath. Tony steadied his hand, like a string wound too tight, it had been shaking with the tension in atmosphere.

A sharp crack heralded the beginning of the fight, as the Hydra agents broke the door down. The shooting started immediately with Tony picking off the two in the front. Hydra did not hesitate to shoot back, though their effectiveness was limited by the narrow door frame. Screams from the other hotel patrons echoed in the hallway.

Loki came in from the side and started stabbing enemies with a fluid grace that should have been more terrifying than mesmerizing given how bloody it was. Tony did always have a strange attraction to danger. A few of the numerous shots were aimed at Loki, who was so unconcerned by them that he didn’t stop fighting. Rightly so it seemed, as every single bullet bounced right off of him.

Tony had a moment of clarity and it was like time stopped. He took in every detail, including the ones he had missed. In their fervor to defend the room from the Hydra agents at the door, they failed to account for the possibility of someone coming in from the windows behind them. Two of them were outside the window, about to burst in. This realization jumpstarted time again, gunfire and crashing glass muffling Tony’s shouted warning. Tony would bet that the rags the agents were carrying as they were going for Pepper and Rhodey held the sweet scent of chloroform.

A look of pure rage passed over Pepper’s face and she fought off the one closest to her, shouting, “I’m never letting you creeps capture me again!”

The agent had probably thought she was an easy target and had simply grabbed her wrists to restrain her while dosing her with the chloroform, but Pepper didn’t stand for that. With a well-placed knee, she loosened the agent’s grip. Once her arms were free, she shot him without hesitation.

Rhodey wasn’t so lucky. They had placed him close to the windows to make better use of his shotgun. The shattering glass hit him the hardest, when the agents burst through. Rhodey had little warning before the hydra agent came up from behind and knocked out him out. Distracted as he was by this, Tony hardly noticed someone leaping over the bed until their hands were around his neck.

The Hydra agent took Rhodey back out the window with him so quickly that they were gone in the space of time it took Tony to punch his attacker out. Apparently satisfied, the few remaining goons bolted, shooting their unconscious comrades dead.  Tony ran to the window, Loki close behind. Shouting to Pepper to head to the lobby, Tony used the rope they left behind to rappel down the building to chase Rhodey’s kidnappers.

Ready to spring into action, Tony scanned the darkness for the group of Hydra goons carrying Rhodey off. Spotting them, he ran full tilt down the street they were escaping down. Then something black and low to the ground slipped past Tony, a shadow creeping with intent. The lighting was close to non-existent, the only source being a small lamp hanging near a phone booth some distance ahead, so at first Tony thought the shadow was a dog. He had nearly caught up, but as he looked at the black shape moving through the darkness, he saw that the movement was all wrong. That wasn’t the way a dog’s body moved when it ran. The creature skirted the lamplight, but it was close enough that Tony could see its shape better.

 “Holy shit!” Tony nearly stopped running. There was a panther on the streets of Maine. One that seemed just as determined to chase down those agents as Tony was. Surreal events have long been a part of Tony’s life, to the point where he’s mostly willing to just take it and run with it, “it” in this case being a goddamn panther.

It loped ahead a short distance, to where the cluster of Hydra agents was trying to get away. All of the grace and lethality inherent in cats was turned upon Hydra. With a great leap, the panther wrapped its paws around its first victim, tearing out his throat. Around the time the second victim was dead on the ground, the remaining Hydra agents had dropped Rhodey and ran for it.

Instead of chasing them, the panther just flopped down two feet from Tony and began grooming its fur. Regrettably aware of the mercurial moods of wild animals, Tony took great caution in moving around the panther to approach Rhodey.

Sweating bullets was the phrase that came to mind, his nerves only made worse when the creature got up and followed him. Making no sudden movements, Tony continued to inch towards Rhodey, careful not to stare at the panther in case it considered him a threat. Tony startled at the sensation of velvety fur bushing against his hand as the panther started rubbing up against his legs. This odd display of affection sent Tony over the edge, he just had it. He was done with this nonsense.

 

“Goddamnit, where’s Loki?” Someone needed to make this stop and Loki was going to have to be it.

“I’m here.” Loki’s voice comes from beside him. Loki is beside him. Where there was a panther until 2 seconds ago. The connection was not hard to make.

“You’re telling me that that was you this whole time.”

Loki smirked. “I didn’t tell you anything of the sort, but yes, that was me.”

Loki had been a continuous source of bewilderment for Tony, from the way he acted to the things he could do. What was worse, he seemed to enjoy jerking Tony around. It’s not at all how he expected someone claiming to be a god to act and Tony didn’t know what to do with him.

Still he had things he needed to do, so he shoved this whole incident where he shoved all those questions and doubts he had about Loki, a mental box labeled ‘deal with it later’. Instead, Tony told Loki, “Help me carry Rhodey. We need to get back to the Hotel before the police arrest someone.” While they weren’t that different height wise, Rhodey was almost twice Loki’s size. So Tony was surprised when Loki easily picked up Rhodey in his arms.

Tony was already able to see the police outside the hotel. It was no big surprise that they came, there was no way their shootout would go unnoticed. Tony knew he had to deal with this now or he’d be in hot water later.

So they headed back to the hotel to deal with the situation. It took the rest of the night and some of the morning to convince the local cops not to arrest them. Tony had to make a lot of phone calls to accomplish this, including some unpleasant ones to General Fury. Loki stuck unnaturally close to Tony throughout the whole thing. Any attempts to get him to back off resulted in some impressive glares. When they were finally released, everyone was on edge to the point their mindsets were plunging into paranoia.

Their wariness turned into weariness as they tried to remain vigilant over breakfast. Pepper was drifting off into her scrambled eggs, whereas Tony, in the manic phase of sleep deprivation, shoveled the best blueberry pancakes he ever had in his mouth. Rhodey completed the tired trio by sipping coffee with hollow eyes. Loki, of course, was unaffected by a lack of sleep.

Tony’s pancake driven euphoria lasted until he took his first sip of coffee. He made such a disgruntled noise when he tasted it, that both Pepper and Rhodey snapped out of their stupor.

Pepper cried, “What happened?”

“Who’s attacking?” Rhodey urgently scrutinized a few of the other customers at the diner.

Tony peered into his mug. “There’s salt in my coffee.”

“Pay closer attention to what you are putting in your drink.”

While it was perfectly possible that Tony was tired enough to mistake the salt for sugar, his gut instinct suspected foul play. However, his prime suspect, Loki, looked just as passive and unconcerned as ever, not that that lessened his suspicions any. In the interest of keeping things relatively calm, he kept his mouth shut on the matter.

They took a mid-morning train down to Portland. The four of them set up in a private car. No one was much interested in making conversation; they just wanted to get back home.

If Tony thought Loki had been sticking close before, then now it was on a whole other level. Until this point, Loki left enough space between them so they wouldn’t touch, but now Loki was pressed up against Tony’s left side. He was too exhausted to really care about it, but he did wonder at the sensation. Loki wasn’t as warm as Tony, but the pressure of his body leaning against him was kind of relaxing. Tony had to fight to stay awake. He couldn’t afford to sleep now. Not when Hydra could be waiting to launch another attack.

Once in Portland, Tony made arrangements to have his car delivered to his home. Jarvis was waiting for them at airport, so they didn’t waste any time in town. By the time they arrived in New York, they were run ragged. They piled into one of Tony’s other cars and were taken to the fifth avenue mansion, slumped over the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the art for this chapter, let me know if I need to replace a link or something. http://68.media.tumblr.com/8991c62f04a147a001d60ca63b7527a9/tumblr_oh0nxbkPSF1uagjs2o1_500.jpg


	8. Part 8

The minute they were safely ensconced in the mansion, they collectively gave in and headed off to take a nap. They were run ragged from their fights with Hydra and subsequent escapes. Loki seemed unimpressed by his extravagant home, but, then again, unimpressed was probably his default emotion. Showing him the armor would surely get a reaction out of him.

Tony headed to his own room, of course, while Rhodey and Pepper took up their preferred guestrooms. It wouldn’t be the first time they had to sleep at the mansion for one reason or another. That’s when Loki raised his objections.  

“We must leave now.”

Tony yawned. “Hold up, I told you we can’t go after Hydra just yet. We need to prepare.”

“Then why aren’t you doing so?”

“I don’t know about you, but I need some rest before I will be good for anything.”

When Tony woke up, he found Loki sitting beside him on the bed. Tony hadn’t really been paying attention to what Loki was doing before his nap, but now he got the impression Loki had been there the whole time. Loki had been around less than two days, and Tony was already getting too used to his presence.

“Is my sleeping face so breathtaking that you didn’t want to explore the house? What are you sticking around me for?”

“Your home holds little interest for me.”

“Right, right. You want to catch that thief.”

Stretching his arms and back, Tony changed into some fresh clothes and headed downstairs. Rhodey was already in the kitchen, helping himself to some BLTs. Wordlessly, he passed one over to Tony. Spewing crumbs from the half of the sandwich he already stuffed in his mouth, Tony thanked Rhodey.

Loki, who had no interest in food until that moment, stared shamelessly at Tony for several minutes before snatching a piece of bacon off of Tony’s sandwich. From then on, if Tony so much as blinked, he’d find himself short one more piece. Tony couldn’t figure out how Loki was doing it.

After their afternoon snack, Tony and Rhodey got ready to head east. Pepper was going to stay behind, because while she dealt with trouble well, she was a writer not a fighter. Instead, she would coordinate everything stateside. Tony was still the head of Stark Industries and a prominent New York figure, and as such someone needed to handle the press.

Jarvis tried to insist on charging the repulsor pump as soon as Tony was up. He would really preferred some privacy before telling Jarvis about the Fire Stone keeping him charged, but Loki wouldn’t leave. Tony eventually decided that he’d risk Loki hearing that bit of information; there was a chance he knew anyway.

“I don’t need it. It looks like I’ve found a new power source, at least temporarily.” Tony unbuttoned his shirt to show him.

Jarvis nodded towards the Fire Stone. “That little rock is powering the repulsor pump?”

“You can check the charge on it; it’s been at full power for awhile now.”

Taking in Jarvis’ lack of surprise at the new addition to Tony’s heart, Tony came to the conclusion that Rhodey must have said something. It figured, all his friends liked to gang up on him and try to take care of him, like he couldn’t do it himself.  Tony’s eyes were drawn to Loki, who looked on with open curiosity at the pump.

“This machine,” Loki said slowly, seemingly searching for the right phrasing. “It keeps you alive?”

Reluctantly, Tony grumbled, “You could say that.”

Loki had an odd expression on his face, but didn’t ask any more questions. Tony wasn’t sure Loki was a god like he claimed, but he certainly was something beyond normal humans. Seeing Tony’s mortality on display might be odd for a being like that.

While they were down in the workshop, Tony showed Loki his armor. Loki was mildly impressed, but only after he told him it could fly. In a fit of indignation, Tony started planning improvements right away. His baby wasn’t anything less than stunning and he swore on his 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster that he would prove it.

Still caught up in new ideas, Tony was surprised by Pepper coming up to him with a book. She shoved it in his hands and with a glance at Loki she whispered to him, “I tried looking him up. I couldn’t find much, but I bookmarked it for you.”

Tony cracked open the book to the marked page, he tried to cover as much of the book as possible while scanning the passages for mentions of Loki. He needed to know for sure if Loki was who he said he was. Unfortunately for Tony, all the book, an encyclopedia of Norse Mythology, had to say on the matter was that he was referred to as Thor’s brother in a couple of skaldic poems. These poems were so obscure, that there was no known written record of them. Then the next thing he knew Loki was right there looking over his shoulder, practically on top of him.

A voice in his ear asked, “What is this?”

Tony quickly stood and hid the book behind his back. “It’s nothing!”

“No, you were searching for information about me, were you not?” Loki looked at Tony with a knowing smile.

After a brief staring contest with Loki, he admitted, “Fine, I was.”

With a look of open curiosity, Loki asked, “What did you find? What did it say?”

“Not much.” Tony opened the book to the page he was looking at, handing it to Loki.

Incredulously he asked, “Is this all?” Tony nodded and the book was immediately set it on fire. Loki had a sour look on his face when he said, “Any book that doesn’t mention Loki, Guardian of Brísingamen, is worthless. You mortals know nothing.” Remembering what happened to those Hydra agents, Tony thought better of arguing with him.

After cleaning up the ashes of his encyclopedia, Tony pulled out a world map and after explaining the distances and directions involved, got Loki to give his best guess as to the location of the band. They ended up with a circle encompassing the whole of France and Switzerland and parts of Spain, Italy, and Great Britain in addition to a whole slew of German occupied lands. Apparently the greater distance between Loki and the band made it hard to pinpoint.

It was about what Tony expected, but it was still a bit disheartening. Going into enemy territory wasn’t something to take lightly.

Tony cross-referenced Loki’s information with the intelligence he had on Hydra bases. The circle contained a few of the existing bases, and a couple of the ones Hydra had been trying to establish in occupied territory. Paris was near the center of the circle; making it the most likely location of the band, and Tony himself had investigated Hydra’s activity in the area so he was certain there was a base there.

Tony and Rhodey spent a lot of time deciding what route to take. They would have liked to stopover in Great Britain, but the skies over there were rife with the Luftwaffe making bombing raids. The same went for any German occupied territory. Even they weren’t that reckless.

“I don’t see how we could pull this off on our own. We should contact Fury, he might have a way in.”

“No, I don’t want him involved in this. A man like him? If he gets his hands on something his powerful it would be almost as bad as Hydra.”

“We’ll get shot down before we get halfway over France.”

“I think we can do it. I trust your skill as a pilot,” Tony said.

Eventually they came up with a workable plan. They would fly into France, if Loki thought the band was there and then they would storm the Paris base with their armors. They decided to take a small cargo plane; it was just big enough to fit Iron Man and War Machine. Rhodey estimated that the flight would take just under 20 hours, depending on weather. Tony was proud of his technological contributions to transatlantic flight. Just a few years ago planes couldn’t cross the Atlantic without needing to refuel, but now they could make the trip without a fuel plane and in record time.

Pepper saw them off, she had her own business to attend to there in New York, and so she couldn’t come with them. She made it a habit to avoid active warzones in any case.

“Stay safe. I don’t want to hear some report saying you got yourselves shot over there.”

“I’ll keep him out of trouble,” Rhodey promised.

Tony hugged her. “We’ll do what we can, we’ve been fine so far haven’t we?”

“Just make sure it stays that way.”

They left in the evening, timing it so they would arrive in the dead of night at the airfield in France they used to escape. Tony had been calling it an airfield, it was really just well sheltered and level farmland, but it served its purpose well. They didn’t waste any time, once everything was stowed, the plane fueled, and their course plotted, they discussed plans to retrieve the torc from Hydra.

Tony and Rhodey took shifts flying the plane, whoever wasn’t piloting would try to get some rest. During the last stretch over France, when Rhodey was in the pilot’s seat, Tony laid down in the cargo hold, using a parachute as a pillow.

Loki had produced a blanket from somewhere and started draping it over Tony. There was a look in his eyes that caught Tony’s attention, it was piercing. Suddenly Tony bolted up right.

Pointing his finger at Loki, he shouted, “You!”

He knew what had bothered him about Loki’s accent now, it was the blanket that triggered the memory, but Loki’s eyes that confirmed it. Those eyes of his were so distinctive he could recognize them even in another face.

“Me?” He said. Loki seemed to find Tony amusing.

Tony didn’t let Loki distract him, “You were the maid!” He was sure of it. Loki had the same eyes, the same accent, and he could shapeshift. Tony had no idea why Loki would pretend to be an elderly maid, but there was no doubt in his mind about this.

“A maid? I don’t have the patience to deal with your games.”

Even as Loki denied it, Tony could see that he was startled. He must not have expected to have his little ruse figured out. Though he couldn’t understand why Loki would sneak around pretending to be a maid in the first place.

“It was-!” The plane shook before Tony could finish. Smoke filled the interior and Rhodey was shouting something, but Tony couldn’t say what. The world turned sideways and Tony was slammed into the wall of the plane. His parachute went skittering away, along with everything else that wasn’t strapped down. The plane was hit.


	9. Part 9

The plane nearly uncontrollable, smoke rising from the engine, the rattling of cargo, every detail of the impending crash was clear. Tony knew the plane couldn’t be saved, not after a hit like that. The knowledge was distant though, hidden behind a curtain of questions and doubts, how did they get hit? Why did they not notice the Luftwaffe until it was too late?

Every thud of his heart seemed like a jolt to the chest. He was more aware of his heart beat than most people, but now its pulse was consuming him. He knew he had to strap on his parachute and get out, there was no time to get Iron Man, but it was like his whole body was reduced to a heartbeat. The plane righted again and he snapped out of it.

Tony tried to grab his parachute, but the plane shifted into a dive and he tumbled to the front of the plane. Loki had grabbed onto one of the interior struts and had hardly moved an inch. On the other side of the plane, the parachute’s strap was caught on something, leaving it out of his reach. Tony struggled against gravity to grab it. Suddenly the plane pulled up, and as Tony went rolling past he snatched the parachute.

Tony was strapped in and ready to jump when he noticed that Loki hadn’t put a parachute on, he tried to say something about it, but Loki pushed him out of the plane before he could. As Tony tumbled through the air, he could see the burning plane. Tony pulled his chute as he tried to watch for Rhodey and Loki, but he couldn’t see them or their chutes in the pale light of the quarter moon. He watched as the plane crashed with all his supplies and possibly his friend in it.

If Rhodey didn’t get out— the thought sickened Tony. Rhodey stuck by him so many times, even when Tony didn’t deserve it. But he was resilient. He could get himself and Tony out of trouble no problem.

Tony could see a river to their north, if that was the Seine; then at a guess, Tony would say that the lights to the east were Rouen. If they had traveled much farther past there, the Seine would have been in the south.

Tony landed in a tree, branches snapping painfully beneath him. He struggled loose from his parachute and did his best to tug it free from the branches. He didn’t want to give away his position to the Luftwaffe. When Tony reached the ground, he was only mildly surprised he found Loki waiting for him.

He asked Loki if he knew what happened to Rhodey, but judging from the look Tony got, he didn’t. Tony started heading east toward their rendezvous point. Rhodey would know to find him at their little airfield. He would be there. Tony wouldn’t doubt it, he couldn’t.

Tony took stock of what he had on him. He had a pistol, a pocket knife, a matchbook, a small canteen, and a couple of emergency rations that had been tucked away with the parachute. Tony thought he should have been cold, but the nights in Northern France were balmy compared to Maine. Loki looked completely unaffected; he walked beside Tony completely unconcerned.

Tony wandered the countryside in an easterly direction, he filled his canteen at the first secluded well he found. He knew it would be harder to pass unnoticed during daylight hours, so when it started to get bright out Tony found a grove of trees to lay low in until they could travel unseen. Tony was antsy long before dark, but he stayed put until he was sure he could travel safely.

Loki was never more than two feet away, though where exactly in that two foot radius he was at any given moment, was a bit of a mystery. He had a tendency to disappear only to be in the opposite direction Tony was looking for him. This game continued even while Loki grew increasingly silent and ill-tempered, he seemed to resent every concession Tony made to feeding himself or sleeping, things that Loki didn’t appear to need. Foraging for edible plants he learned about from Rhodey, Tony was just barely able to find enough to keep going. His happiest find was a patch of wild strawberries, many of which he put away for later.

After trekking through the swath of woods near the river for a few hours, Tony tripped on a root. It was bound to happen; even an adventurer like Tony couldn’t perfectly navigate the woods at night. What surprised him though is that Loki caught him. The hand steadying his shoulder was wholly unexpected and if it weren't for the way Loki glared at him, he'd have said it was almost kind.

Tony tripped a couple more times with Loki there to catch him, but when it happened a fourth time, there was no cool hand to brace him. His ankle twisted beneath him, and as he hit the ground stones dug in to him. He swallowed a pained howl, this was nothing compared to some of his past injuries. His hands and knees were scraped bloody, and his ankle was beginning to swell. He could still walk, but his pace would be slower until he could heal. Loki stood over him looking pale in the moonlight, Tony ignored him and did his best to wrap his ankle before pressing on.

It was on the cusp of dawn when Tony found an abandoned farmhouse nestled between the rolling hills a few miles back from the river. It was quite picturesque and almost undoubtedly empty, with the surrounding fields trampled and covered in weeds, the distinct lack of smoke coming from the chimney, and the way the door hung broken on its hinge. Just to be certain however, Tony limped through the house to check for squatters, and upon finding none, he settled in for the day. First he washed his injuries in water from the well, but then his stomach rumbled so he decided to make use of those wild strawberries. The kitchen hadn’t been completely cleared out, but most of the food that the former residents had left behind already spoiled. Luckily there was still a sack of oats that wasn’t beyond saving. Tony risked a small fire to boil water for the oats, adding a little extra he could set aside for washing up more thoroughly. Not one bit of help came from Loki, so Tony didn’t feel an ounce of shame for keeping his strawberry oatmeal for himself. Tony was pretty sure Loki didn’t need to eat anyway.

After the first filling meal he had in days, Tony was overcome with drowsiness. With nothing else to do until dark, Tony dragged some bedding over to one of the less visible corners and got some rest. He could have sworn he heard Loki mutter “pathetic” under his breath, but Tony was too tired to deal with it beyond giving Loki a glare. Tony didn’t let himself sleep for long after drifting off, but even after waking up he stayed in his bed, not quite ready to move.

Eventually Tony got sick of Loki hovering over his shoulder in quiet disdain. “It’s time for you to stop being useless. We are going to figure out if they brought the torc to Paris.”

Tony predicted that Loki would get angry and hiss a few insults, before telling Tony what he wanted to know, but Tony didn’t get the reaction he thought he would. Instead Loki crumpled.

“There is hardly any point. I have seen what you are up against. You bleed so easily, your meager might will not be enough to retrieve the band.”

Tony realized now that what he had called disdain was actually closer to despair. Loki was ready to give up. There was an awful sense that things were not as they should be. If there was one thing Tony learned, it was that Loki was driven. Everything was off balance.

“What happened to your glorious burden or whatever it was? You’re the Guardian of the Brísingamen, aren’t you?” He couldn’t let Loki give up on him.

“I wasn’t burdened with anything, you fool. I am no Guardian and you are a buffoon to have believed such a lie.” Loki sunk down to the floor. From where he was curled up he mumbled, “I was the burden. My so called family cares naught for a thief like me. I was sealed in Brísingamen and cast away like so much refuse.”

Tony froze. “What?” he croaked.

Loki looked up at Tony and said, “I was a youth, hoping to impress my father, the king. Unlike my brother Thor, I lacked the brute strength valued by our people. Instead I was gifted in _Seiðr_ and trickery. Behind my back they called me honorless and _ergi_. I had hoped Brísingamen would amplify my abilities, so I stole it. The Guardian of the Bifrost found me and defeated me in battle. As punishment, my own father sealed me away and tossed my vessel into mortal hands.” Tony was shocked to see Loki actually tearing up.

“Then why are we trying to get the torc back?” Tony asked. “Don’t tell me it’s because you want to spare me a fiery death.” Tony’s attempt at levity fell flat in the wake of this revelation.

Loki looked away. In a shaky voice he said, “I only wanted the torc back because a portion of my power rests in it and without it I have no hope of escape. The Fire Stone is no danger to you.”

Tony gaped at this. He probably shouldn’t have been so quick to believe Loki’s lies, he thought he learned that lesson with Gialetta, but it turned out he would always be a fool read to jump into danger. As much as he liked to pretend he matured since then, he probably would gone after Madame Hydra for any excuse that sounded halfway reasonable after the way she got the better of him. Not to mention a potential solution to his heart troubles.

After a few seconds Tony managed to say, “Then why are you sticking around, if I’m not any help?”

Loki curled his hands around his head and curled up tighter. He said, “I cannot leave.” He lifted his head and took some deep breaths before explaining, “Over the years I have managed to gain a measure of freedom, though I am still tethered to it, I am able to move away from Brísingamen. Before the stone was separated from the band I could move farther, but now I am only able to travel a few paces away. I don’t have the power for more.”

Tony keenly felt the shift in everything he thought he knew about Loki. He grasped for understanding. “You’re using all your energy to, what, hang about?”

Hesitantly Loki said, “Being shut away like that is …unpleasant, even maddening. I can feel what the stone feels, the beating of your heart. It is nearly overwhelming from within the stone. Soon I won’t have enough power to materialize at all.”

Tony pulled Loki up from where he was huddled on the floor and hugged him close. Loki’s skin was cool, but not uncomfortably so. Reaching in between them, Loki put his hand over the Fire Stone embedded in Tony’s chest.

Loki may have lied to him, but Tony couldn’t bring himself to feeling anything about it. Logically, He knew what he should be feeling; he’d had enough experience with lies and betrayal to be familiar with the emotions involved. There was just so much happening, with Rhodey missing, and enemies around every corner…There was so much to feel that it was hard to feel anything. Besides when it came down to it, Tony was used to being lied to, used to being manipulated.

He’d never trusted Loki in the first place. Sure, he swallowed some of his lies, but he didn’t trust him. Now though, with all those secrets out there? Maybe Tony could bring himself to trust Loki, just a bit. It scared Tony a little how ready he was to do it. The fear was breaking through the numbness. He hugged Loki tighter.

Tony restarted the conversation to distract himself from…whatever was going on here. “They just left it around where anyone could use it?”

“Like most Asgardian tools, such as my brother’s hammer, Brísingamen has a consciousness of its own. Brísingamen’s will has to be in accordance with its users for its powers to be unleashed.” Loki’s voice was next to Tony’s ear. Abruptly Tony realized that they had crossed over the line of giving comfort. His mouth was starting to feel dry.

Tony tried not to focus on his pounding heart. “So you can talk to it?”

“I do not communicate with it. It is pointless to do so. It’s alien in its views and singularly uncooperative. If it was willing to listen to me, I wouldn’t have been sealed at all.” He paused. He caressed Tony’s back as he said, “However, it seems fond of you. It healed you and is now resting near your heart. That was no accident.”

Was Loki saying what Tony thought he was? That maybe Tony could use Brísingamen? The possibility frightened him, just a little. “Is it really so powerful? They did just hand it off to a bunch of Vikings.”

Loki pulled away to look him in the eye and said, “You could set the world aflame.”

Tony didn’t know what to say to that. It was so unbelievable and Loki was so close. All of his reluctance fell away; it wasn’t like anyone was around to arrest them. So Tony closed his eyes and started humming a[ little song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l6vqPUM_FE). He tried hugging Loki again, but he was having none of it.

Loki scowled at Tony. He hissed, “I tell you that you have access to power unimaginable, and you react like this?”

“Relax. I’m still letting it sink in. In the meantime, let’s stick together.” Tony said softly, and this time Tony succeeded in pulling Loki back in.

“You’re insufferable.” A womanly voice whispered in his ear. He could feel breasts against his chest.  Hair tickled his arms. Tony jerked back, wide eyed.

In front of him was a woman with long wavy black hair. Her green dress displayed her curvy hourglass shape. Her face was still angular, but with softness Loki didn’t have before. Her brilliant green eyes were just the same.

“They weren’t entirely wrong when they called me _ergi_.” She said with a smile.

Loki wrapped her arms around Tony’s neck. Tony stumbled back until he hit a chair. He collapsed into it with Loki straddling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Pronouns! Now normally when a guy is turned into a girl or vice versa, I’d keep their original pronouns, but I feel this doesn’t really work for Loki, since he is gender fluid. If she turned into a woman, she feels like a “she” in that moment, if he’s a man then he is a “he”. Canon agrees with me on this. On another note it’s actually a pet peeve of mine when an author changes pronouns to denote sex rather than someone’s gender. Seriously, a change in anatomy does not make a guy “she”.  
> Also I like to call this chapter Loki’s Honesty Hour. Just saying.
> 
> Also here's a link to the art for this chapter: https://66.media.tumblr.com/bf0a00f0d7a7770f974886696d5215ea/tumblr_oh0nxbkPSF1uagjs2o2_1280.jpg


	10. Part 10

“You’re a lady.” Tony said a little breathlessly.

Loki’s eyes crinkled around the edges, she whispered, “Sometimes.”

“Uh, I can work with that.” Tony’s voice went a little reedy and He nearly swallowed his tongue.

 Tony watched her bat her eyelashes. He couldn’t take his eyes off her beautiful green eyes. “Can you?” She purred.

“What? Uh, Yeah I guess.” Tony spluttered. He was having a hard time thinking.

“Good.” Loki got off Tony’s lap. “The band is about sixty miles southeast of here.”

“Huh?” Tony’s mind caught up and he said, “Wait, you think I’m just going to help you get it back?”

“Yes, you will.” Loki ran her fingers through Tony’s hair. It felt so sweet Tony let out a sigh.

Tony was just cursing himself for a reckless fool, yet he couldn’t say no. It wasn’t just because of his weakness for beautiful women, he still wanted to get Madame Hydra back for what she did and any blow against Hydra was good in his books. More than that, the thought of Loki, who he was rather reluctantly growing to like, trapped inside of a jewel for all eternity was stomach curdling.

Tony fought to regain his composure before opening his eyes. “Sixty miles you said?”

Tony calculated the distance they had traveled since passing Rouen using some of the other towns they passed as landmarks. After a moment, he muttered, “So it is in the Paris base.”

Unconcerned, Loki asked, “Is that a problem?”

Putting all the sarcasm he possibly could into his voice, Tony said, “No, everything is aces. It’s just an enemy base. Not to mention Paris is overrun with the Germans and their tanks.”

Loki looked at Tony like she was looking at his soul. She smiled flirtatiously and turned away, giving Tony an excellent view of her backless dress.

“You’ll figure something out.” So Tony started planning.

At some point when Tony wasn’t looking, Loki turned back into a man. Tony wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Lady Loki was a looker, but turning back to man didn’t make him any less attractive, just less socially acceptable as a partner. On the other hand, Tony was more practiced at publically ignoring his attraction to men.

Over the next few nights, Tony and Loki made their way to the covert airfield. The bright moonlight was a double edged sword, it helped them move through the countryside, but it also made it easier for them to be seen. Having now noticed Tony’s interest, Loki took to playing with Tony’s hair, curling around him while he slept, and generally acting handsy. Sometimes Lady Loki would make an appearance, she particularly seemed to enjoy hanging off of Tony.

 “So, Thor is your brother.”

“To my great misfortune.”

“Woah, he’s that bad?”

“He’s a bull-headed, arrogant, buffoon that constantly relies on me to get him out of trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“All kinds, from hiding the shards of our mother’s treasured vase to turning the tides of battle.”

“You’ve been on earth for a while. I guess someone else must be saving his bacon now.”

Loki stopped, a panic-struck look passed over his face before a sneer settled there. “Yes, he has comrades, and he was always father’s favorite. He has no need of me and my tricks.”

“It’s okay to be worried about him.”

“I am not worried. It would suit me fine if something ill were to befall my brother.”

There were several occasions where they hid from passing German soldiers, but no agents of Hydra were around. At one point they had to steal a boat to cross the river, since the airfield was on the north side. Luckily in the chaos of war, a number of small boats were left unguarded.

They were within a mile of the airfield, when Tony caught sight of someone else moving silently through the woods. Whoever it was seemed to be alone. Tony crept forward to get a better look, but they were gone. Weary of discovery, Tony continued moving. Suddenly someone was in front of Tony.

It was Rhodey, covered in a few days’ worth of grime and leaves. Loki didn’t seem surprised to see him pop out of a bush, but Tony sure was. Tony wanted to chew him out for shocking a man with a heart condition like that, but the words caught in his throat and somehow he ended up hugging him instead. He held back on the manful tears though, he wasn’t that big of a sap.

Wiping his eyes, Tony said, “It’s good to see you, Jim.”

“It’s good to see you too, Tony”

“How have you been? Did you run into a lot of trouble?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. You?”

“A-okay.” “Listen, before we move on, I need to tell you something.”

“Uh-oh”

“It’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“I can guess.” “Anyway, it just so happens I’m not in danger of burning alive thanks to the Fire Stone, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the band.”

“You never were any good at giving up on a treasure.”

“You know me.” “Are you still up for this?”

Rhodey looked him in the eye and asked, “You really think we can do it?”

“Eh, maybe.” Tony said with a shrug.

Over all the years they’ve known each other, Rhodey has followed Tony into danger countless times and there was no one Tony would rather have at his side. They were a good combination. Rhodey was just a smidge less reckless than Tony so while he’d go along with Tony’s wild ideas, he made sure they were more grounded first. He tells Rhodey the plan.

 “That’s not a plan, that’s a suicide mission.” After a beat he said, “Let’s do it.”

Phase one of their plan, like any good infiltration mission, involved stealing a uniform. Just one because Loki could change his clothes at will and Rhodey would never pass for a Nazi. If they played things right, Rhodey wouldn’t even have to show his face.

When night fell, they staked out a village with a strong German presence. In the pastime of off duty soldiers the world over, the Germans were getting raucously drunk. In the shadow the local church, Tony, Rhodey, and Loki lied in wait. They didn’t move until a lone soldier came staggering by, too drunk to walk straight. Lady Loki stepped out, her low-cut dress hanging off her shoulder, and beckoned to him, he was probably no more than 20 years old. He didn’t even hesitate to walk into her embrace and was knocked out for his carelessness.

Tony and Rhodey stripped him and left him on the church steps, quite certain that leaving him passed out drunk was less suspicious than anything else they could do. The sight stirred some sympathy in Tony, but not much; this was an enemy soldier, no matter how young he was.

Phase two was a bit more difficult. Tony had to shave. And then steal a tank, but it was the loss of his van dyke that made it hard even as faded as it was with the growth of new stubble. Convincing a bunch of green soldiers to hand over their Sturmgeschütz III tank to someone who appeared to be a superior officer wasn’t exactly easy, but it was nothing compared to the months he’d spend growing back his beard. Not many people appreciated the work he put into his signature look.

Loki was their greatest asset in this phase. Once they reached another village, this one closer to Paris, he took on the form of one the officers they had seen on the way. Tony was at his side, pretending to be his second-in-command. It was a marvel watching Loki smooth talk them into handing over the tank without the proper paperwork or any outside authorization.

Phase three was comprised of two things Tony was great at, mechanics and engineering explosions. He jumped down into the cockpit of the tank and started pulling things apart with fervor. It was great being in his element, not roaming the countryside without the least bit of modern technology.  Once he was done, the three of them were on their way to Paris. The sun was setting was they arrived, their tank and Loki’s impersonation skills getting them past the perimeter. All the use of his magic seemed to be straining Loki, but he kept quiet and steered them in the direction of the band.

It was in a building buzzing with Hydra agents on an otherwise sparsely populated street. Getting past them, even disguised as they were would be difficult; luckily Tony had just the trick. He rigged the StuG III to travel in a straight line even without anyone in it. The three of them quickly abandoned the tank, some distance down the street, and then waited for it to explode. Tony had roughly timed it to go off in front of Hydra hideout.

The explosion was spectacular, drumming up a familiar rush that Tony used to keep going. Nearly every agent that was on guard was drawn away, leaving only a few for Tony and Rhodey to deal with. Loki stuck close to Tony’s side, but was breathing heavily, too tired to fight. As soon as they were in the base, they treaded carefully, wary of discovery. The average German officer’s uniform wasn’t going to cut it here.

The hideout was surprisingly big and even with Loki acting as their compass, they got lost. So many of the corridors looked the same, walls covered in plaster and occasional door. The only change came when they moved into the basement, where everything looked to be hewn from stone. More agents were down there too.

Just as some Hydra goons were about to round the corner, Loki grabbed Tony and Rhodey’s hands. Caught unaware, Tony froze against the wall, the goons should have been able to see them, but they didn’t. Tony looked at Loki, Loki’s expression was drawn, and he was concentrating hard on something.  Before the goons passed, Tony and Rhodey struck out. The Hydra agents soundly defeated, Tony looked back at Loki. His shoulders were sagging and he just sort of flickered. The next moment, Loki was gone.

Or maybe not, Tony could feel a warmth in his chest that wasn’t there before, a small reminder that Loki was still with him. He put a hand over his heart and smiled. Then Tony helped Rhodey drag their victims into an empty room.

They continued their search for the band. Loki wasn’t there to tell them where it was, but Tony could almost feel it pulling him now. He let it lead them deeper into the basement tunnels.

They reached a room filled with crates, and sitting on top of one was the very same case that Madame Hydra put the band into. Tony took off his helmet as he approached, holding his breath in anticipation. He was so close to fixing this whole mess.

He heard from behind him, “I knew you would come to retrieve the rest of the Brísingamen.”

Madame Hydra was there, along with her uniformed thugs. They had guns pointed at him and Rhodey, they scrambled for cover just as a volley of shots was fired. Tony and Rhodey pulled out their pistols to return fire; Blood seeped from Rhodey’s shoulder where it had been grazed by one of the bullets. After firing a few rounds, Tony ducked back behind the crate they were using as a shield. He only had a few bullets left, Rhodey was the same. If Tony could reach the band, maybe Loki would have enough power to do something. Taking a chance, Tony put his arms up in surrender and slowly stood.

Madame Hydra told her goons, “Hold your fire.” She approached them with the kind of confidence that comes when you are holding all the cards.

“When I discovered that you were still alive and the jewel was missing, I knew the great Tony Stark would come for the rest. I did not expect you to surrender so easily.” She smiled like a snake about to strike and then said, “I might as well give you to Commander Strucker. He seems to think you’ll be useful. Take them away.”

Strucker, the name filled Tony with a cold dread that not even the stone in his chest could combat. He knew what Strucker wanted with him, and it terrified him. All this time he hoped the rumors that Strucker had survived the explosion were false as much as he had suspected otherwise. Men like that don’t die easily. He couldn’t let Strucker get his hands on him. He wasn’t going to end up a puppet like his father.

As soon as her back was turned, Tony dived for the case; it was just a few feet away. He grabbed the torc and ran with all his might, wishing he knew how he got in this mess. He didn’t get very far. One of her thugs pushed him, he went tumbling forward, but he didn’t hit the floor. The room faded and soon Tony was left with nothing but the sensation of falling.


	11. Part 11

Tony hit the ground hard. It had felt like he was falling for a thousand years, passing through a place that was neither here nor there, yet it must have only been a few minutes as he hadn’t visibly aged and his sanity was still intact. Or maybe he had lost it, because he was now lying on a ledge overlooking water, surrounded by snowcapped plateaus and that definitely wasn’t where he should be.

However he got there, he didn’t want to stay. Shivering, Tony levered his sore and aching body up and looked for a way down. To his dismay, there weren’t any handhold that he’d feel safe free climbing, it was nearly a vertical drop to the ground below. Strange noises echoed throughout the fjord, drawing his attention to the shore.

What looked like two oversized seals fought below at the water’s edge. Tony was going to ignore them and continue to look for a way down, but in a blink of an eye, they turned into people wearing golden armor and horned helmets. One of them had a green cape and a staff; his opponent had a giant sword. The green one was fast, he dodged around and ducked under the sword to deal blows, but they seemed ineffective against his larger, opponent. All it took was one decisive blow and the figure in the green cape was struck down. The battle ended there, with the loser raising his arms in surrender. A beam of multicolored light fell from the sky and they were gone. The world shifted around Tony again.

Tony was little less caught off guard this time, when he found himself tumbling into a hall of gold. He brushed himself off in the shadow of the pillar he was dumped behind. He carefully peered around the pillar, something told him he didn’t want to be spotted. He saw the back of a throne, complete with a spear wielding, golden armored king. In front of the throne were the guys with the horned helmets from earlier, only now he could see that the one in green was Loki. He was held in chains by two guards, also in golden armor, as the big guy with the sword presented Brísingamen to the king.

Loki was looking everywhere but at the king as he listed Loki’s crimes. It was all sounding familiar, Loki did mention a king. Tony was wondering if that was Loki’s father when he made eye contact with Loki, so much for staying out of sight.  The king drew Loki’s attention back to him with the announcement of his punishment, solving that problem for the moment.

“For these crimes you are sentenced to be sealed in the very object which you stole and sent to Midgard. You will learn what it means to covet that which is not yours to take and teach others the same.”

Blinding light filled the hall, swirling about to envelop Loki before converging on Brísingamen. The light faded and Loki was gone, sealed away in that which he stole. Brísingamen gleamed as the guards took it out of the room.

A stately woman walked into view, apparently she had been standing in the blind spot created by the throne. She looked at the king and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Gruffly the king turned away and said, “With two conflicting wills residing in Brísingamen, it will be impossible to use.”

The woman, the queen, pulled back her shoulders in displeasure. “I was speaking of our son. He is misguided, not evil. He doesn’t deserve to have his freedom stolen from him like this.”

“He lies and steals from his own parents! He will be free when he is worthy of that freedom.” His voice held conviction, but he would not look into his queen’s eyes.

It was cold and damp where Tony landed next, in the mud. He was in some sort of village made up of poorly constructed houses, all the people were gathered in the central square. None of them seemed to pay Tony any mind.  One of the guards from the throne room was meeting with someone who, judging by his horned helmet, was important among these people, already deep in conversation. Tony couldn’t understand what the man was saying, nor the mutterings of the villagers around him, but the guard’s half of the conversation came through clear.

“Thus it is the will of Odin that you take this gift, Frigga’s Brísingamen, and keep it in your hallowed halls for all to see and use it and the tale I relayed you to teach of the perils of theft and greed.”

Then the guard handed over Brísingamen with an air of gravity that ill-suited this simple village. For their part, the villagers seemed overawed, which would make sense if they Vikings and worshiped Odin.

After that, the scenes started shifting faster. Tony would be dropped there and whisked away with no one the wiser. He watched as a large man with an equally large red beard stole Brísingamen in the night. Then in completely different place Tony saw the same man disembarking from a ship. He carried the torc with him to a house nestled in the misty seaside pastures. Seasons and years passed and the house was replaced with a temple, Tony could see Brísingamen carefully removed from a statue it was decorating within. It was placed in a padded box and sent off with great ceremony.

Another ship, this time Tony was on it as it rocked about in stormy waters. Everything, including Tony, was soaked, rain fell in sheets, and waves rolled over the sides of the ship. Tony was soaked as he clung to the prow, unable to see what was happening around him between the rain and darkness. People were shouting as thunder crashed overhead. He desperately held on even as the wood cracked. More water flooded in, and Tony came to the terrifying realization that the boat was being smashed against the rocks.

Just when he was sure he’d drown, Tony was on dry land again. He was at the edge of a crude village carved out of the woods. It was quiet, very few people were about. An old man was carving runes into a stone as a younger man sat with him, unmistakably telling a story to the older man. Every once and awhile the younger man would stop the story to point out some detail on the carving. Once they were finished, they put this stone at an altar in the center of the village next to two other stones.

Now Tony was somewhere he just barely recognized. Stretched out before him was seal bay, but different from how he last saw it. The trees were shorter, the coastline might have been slightly altered, and it was early spring instead of midsummer.

There was the lady, the queen, from the throne room, holding Brísingamen close to her chest. She looked unnaturally perfect, surrounded by an ethereal glow, with not a hair out of place, and the hem of her dress that should have been soaked in seawater, was to all appearances dry. She glanced over at Tony before she whispered something to it and placing it amongst the rocks, her hand lingering for a moment. Tony couldn’t say why, but he thought she was crying.

Later Loki was there; sometimes he was in the form of a green-eyed seal, now so familiar, less often he was himself, male or female. Every time Tony jumped forward, Loki was further from Brísingamen, testing his boundaries in isolation. Occasionally Tony thought Loki might have gotten a glimpse of him despite his efforts to stay out of sight.

Something changed on a bright and sunny day, Loki was teasing a raven some distance away from the torc when a man wandered into the cove. He spotted the gold gleaming from between the rocks and plucked it from the water with greed in his eyes, crowing to himself about his lucky find. Loki remained unseen by the man until, with obvious distress, he launched himself at him and pulled him under the water. That was the beginning of a pattern; anyone who got close to Brísingamen was driven away or killed.

Until Tony watched himself try to escape Hydra. The pounding of his heart was dizzying, echoing his past self’s panic. Tony’s breath caught in his throat when he saw himself searching through the water and finding Brísingamen. A burst of pain bloomed across his back in unison with the past playing out before him, the phantom pain doubled with each bite of the whip, nothing compared to the original strikes, but staggering nonetheless. Madame Hydra had him in her clutches, her whip tight around his neck. His lungs begged for air. Tony was no longer sure if he was watching or experiencing it, then just as she violently pulled the torc from Tony’s grasp, everything faded away.

The universe was being spun around him, every fiber of existence in motion. The cosmos infinite opened up before Tony, the warp and weft of the fabric of reality. It was all-encompassing, yet nothing of substance at the same time. Threads ran through all of Spacetime, resonating with each other and all of matter in a great tapestry. Tony could see the thousands of threads that connected him to the world, he followed them. Then Tony was right back where he had started, on the way to the ground in a room full of Hydra agents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m just going to drop these links here.  
> http://norse-mythology.org/concepts/seidr/  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory


	12. Part 12

In his hands, Tony held Brísingamen, once more complete. As Tony got to his feet, Brísingamen offered to show him more, scenes from the past, possible futures, secrets of the universe.  It whispered about what it could do, everything that Tony could change with its power.

Setting the world aflame was a gross understatement. He could heal his heart condition and extend his life long past mortal bounds. If Tony just plucked one thread here, all of Hydra could be wiped out. In fact, he could scrub the earth of all evil. The war would end, and everyone could live in peace. It was a true utopia where everyone was healthy, they had food, water, and anything they wanted. No one would die, no one would betray anyone else, and he’d be there to guide everyone to harmony.

No. Creating such a reality would burn his soul from the inside out. Which he wouldn’t mind, but that wasn’t really what he wanted for humanity. It was someone else’s vision. The best parts of humanity were the messiest. Tony has seen the worst in humanity, but wiping it out would mean wiping out the best as well. Progress didn’t happen without some suffering, nothing beautiful was made without pain.

Besides, even Tony knew that if you pull one thread loose, the whole thing came unraveled. Maybe that was why all the gods he saw used spears and swords instead of something like Brísingamen, they knew the consequences of ripping apart reality to get what you want.

Brísingamen’s approval radiated throughout Tony’s being. That affirmed his conviction that reality was not to be messed with. Still, he could see the potential for shifting a few threads without lasting damage.

The power of the gods seared every corner of Tony’s soul as he returned to the present, as painful as it was euphoric. Nothing seemed quite as real as the already dissipating memories of communicating with Brísingamen, but slowly reality asserted itself.

Rhodey was shaking his shoulders. “You really need to wake up now!”

Tony blinked. The room was on fire. When had that happened?

Rhodey registered that Tony was back to normal and even though there was still a spark of panic in his eyes, he slumped in relief. Tony wasn’t certain what happened after he picked up the torc. He remembered travelling in time and Brísingamen making itself whole again. There were other things as well, impressions he held on to long after the rest slipped from memory.

He had changed things. Loki freed, Rhodey’s wound healed, as if it had never been, and a plane waiting for them outside Paris. Those had been the small things, details in the tapestry that didn’t tear the whole thing apart when rearranged.

He leaned against Rhodey for a second, before pushing away. “Yeah we need to shake a leg or we are going to be barbeque.”

In the back of the room, the Hydra agents were cowering. Madame Hydra wasn’t among them, so she must have gotten out of there already. Anyone left was probably too stupid to run, not only from the fire, but Loki. He was resplendent in his golden armor, cutting down down Hydra agents with his staff.

Tony would have liked to watch, but it was really getting hot in there. He mustered the energy to get moving, giving up infinite power was draining.

Without stopping he called to Loki, “We need to go!”

Loki was quick to follow. He took point as they ran through the burning building. A few goons tried to stand in their way, but they didn’t last long against Loki. And even that resistance fizzled as the fire grew larger.

Soon, Tony worried the ceiling would come down on them. They were almost to the entrance when they found Madame Hydra waiting for them. Never without back up, she had twenty agents blocking their path out.

“You won’t leave this building alive!” She sneered. “Get them! I’ll take Stark.”

With her whip at hand, she came for Tony. Meanwhile her agents swarmed Loki and Rhodey. The agents were no match for them, but their numbers made it impossible for them to get to Tony. Tony stepped forward to meet Madame Hydra.

He prepared for the blow as she raised her whip. It fell across his chest, tearing open his shoulder and revealing his chest plate. His wounds burning, Tony gripped Brísingamen harder as he continued to stride forward. The next stroke of Madame Hydra’s whip wrapped around Tony’s arm. Ignoring the spikes and the pain, he grabbed the whip and pulled it from her hand.

He threw the whip into the flames. Enraged, Madame Hydra rushed at Tony. He wrestled with her, however when she tried to grab Brísingamen, it burned her. Clutching her hand, she looked at him with fury in her eyes. Before she could launch another attack, Tony closed in on her, ending the fight with a roundhouse kick.

Satisfied with his work, Tony turned to help his companions, but Rhodey and Loki had already dispatched the agents that were meant to keep them there.

Over the roar of the fire, Tony shouted, “We need to get out of here and to the airfield! I have a plane waiting!”

Together they ran for the exit, the building collapsing around them. A beam cracked, falling in front of the door. They had no way out as the flames surrounded them. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but the rest of him felt bone dry, as if all the moisture was sucked out of him. For a moment he considered using Brísingamen, but it whispered, _not yet_.

Loki took Tony’s hand, then reached over for Rhodey’s. Flames licked the air around them, drawing closer. Tony’s lungs labored, wheezing through the smoke to get the oxygen he needed. Rhodey held his shirt over his mouth and Tony copied him. Nothing was happening; Loki just stood there, eyes closed. Tony didn’t even know what he expected. They needed to find another way out. Tony tried to move, to pull away, but Loki wouldn’t let go.

Tony mentally reached for Brísingamen again and was only answered with silence. The next instant Tony found out why. With a pop, they were in the cool night air, crickets chirping around them. A familiar plane rested just a few yards away; Loki had taken them to the airfield.

“Snazzy.” Tony grinned despite the rasping quality to his voice.

Loki released their hands, wobbling a little before managing to stand straight. “Though I have greater access to my spells now that I’m free, gathering enough energy to use them required effort.”

“Getting us here at all is worth the praise.”

Brísingamen’s warm presence in his hands brought him back to reality, what he could have done with it, what others could do with it was sobering. The heavy weight of that responsibility drained the giddiness from his system.

Tony held up Brísingamen so it caught in the moonlight. “We need to put this somewhere it can never be found again.”

“I will return it to Asgard. It shall be safe there.” Loki reached for Brísingamen, but Tony held it closer to himself.

“Are you sure going back to Asgard is the best thing for you?” Tony looked down at the torc in his hands.

He wasn’t worried Loki would use it. He was pretty sure Loki couldn’t use Brísingamen. The rules for who could and couldn’t were unclear, but the knowledge that Loki couldn’t tickled the back of his mind. More than that, Loki probably didn’t want more to do with it than he had to.

Tony’s concerns were more selfish that that. He wanted Loki to stay with him, maybe continue what started between them in that French farmhouse. After looking at the atmosphere between Tony and Loki, Rhodey wisely jogged ahead to the plane.

With a sigh, Loki explained, “I need to return home. There is much I left behind.”

“You’re right.” Tony said, thinking of the queen, Loki’s mother. “I saw some of that.”

“I knew you would. Remember, I saw you too.” Loki smiled at Tony and leaned in close.

Tony held his breath as Loki drew closer and closer. Tony closed his eyes and bridged the gap between them. It started as a gentle kiss, but when Tony started to pull away, Loki reeled him back in. Their tongues slid past each other as Loki buried his fingers in Tony’s hair. Tony got lost in the nibbles on his lip and the way Loki tasted.

Too far adrift in Loki’s embrace, Tony was slow to react when the kiss ended and Loki backed away. Brísingamen was now in Loki’s hands, he held it aloft and was swallowed by a beam of light.

 

Tony frowned and turned off the radio with a sigh. He couldn’t believe [that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_pLiWLZPU) was what was popular now. Tony couldn’t stand to listen to anything so sappy. Tony looked around his sitting room, at a loss for what to do. Levering himself out of the armchair, he headed off to work on something.

It had been three months since Loki left for Asgard and he still hadn’t come back. He would probably never come back, but Tony was used to that sort of thing. People left, or died on him, or never really liked him to begin with. It happened all the time. Tony had to admit that he wasn’t exactly happy about it, just once he wanted someone to stick around.

In fact, Tony was acting like a lovesick fool. Pepper was suspicious and Rhodey even commented on it. When they were out together on one of Fury’s missions, He had said, “It’s not like you to be so dizzy with a dame, let alone a fella like Loki.”

Tony hadn’t realized he had been so obvious. He was lucky no one else would connect his sighs to Loki. Tony didn’t need that kind of trouble, but he couldn’t stop.

Loki was as unpredictable as wildfire, yet he drew Tony in, lodged himself in Tony’s heart. Even with the knowledge Tony was going to get burned, the pull to be the moth to Loki’s flame was irresistible. He seemed so far beyond anything Tony knew, yet also felt so real beside him. So despite himself, despite the suspicion that Loki was still holding something back, Tony trusted him.

He just wasn’t sure that mattered if he wasn’t ever going to see him again. Tony had hoped that kiss meant something, but as time passed he grew less sure it did. It might have been nothing to Loki, after all he had only been with Tony because he had no choice.

Sighing, Tony reached the reinforced door at the bottom of his basement stairs. He swung it open and froze, having suddenly been confronted with the object of his contemplations. Loki leaned against a worktable with his arms crossed like not only did he have the authority to be there, he had the right to question what anyone else’s presence. For all the haughtiness conveyed by his body language, his face was passive. A long, drawn-out silence over took the room.

Tony cleared his throat. “So, you’re back.”

Carefully neutral, Loki asked, “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.”

Tony couldn’t find a single problem with it; he was thrilled. He struggled not to let it show as he moved closer to Loki. Loki relaxed, revealing a previous stiffness that had gone unseen.  The possibility that Loki was equally thrilled didn’t seem as farfetched as it might have moments ago.

Testing the waters, Tony asked, “What did you come back for?”

He knew what he hoped the answer would be, but maybe Loki had other ideas.

“My brother went missing while I was imprisoned. I believe he was searching for me on Midgard.” Loki slung his arm around Tony’s waist and informed him, “You will help me find him.”

 Loki had phrased it like an order, but Tony could see uncertainty in Loki’s eyes as he waited for rejection. If he refused Loki now, Tony would never see him again. Tony could go back to doing secret missions for Fury and giving tips on war stories to Pepper.

Or this could be the start of a new chapter in Tony’s life. He didn’t know where it would lead, only that he could find out if this thing between him and Loki was going anywhere.

Tony made his choice.

With a beaming smile he said, “Looking for a lost god? Sounds like an adventure.”


End file.
